Marriage Changes Everything
by ladykatsuyu
Summary: Shino finds himself engaged to be married through arranged marriage and Kiba believes that he shouldn't have to marry someone that doesn't make him happy. But is that the only reason why Kiba seems so upset by this engagement? Content is not related to my Allied Shinobi Chronicles plot line, but does reference it. ShinoKiba KibaShino RATED M FOR FUTURE CONTENT
1. Chapter 1: The Proposal

Shino walked into the entrance of his home, muttering a word of greeting to no one in particular. The Aburame home was kept calm and nearly silent; and unnecessary noise was discouraged. But Shino started to develop this small habit of issuing a greeting to no one in particular when he entered the house shortly after he joined Team 8 — his whisper breaking through the usual stoic silence of the Aburame home.

However, he heard several low voices from the receiving room, and wondered who the visitors were. He would regret his curiosity later.

He sat on a bench near the entrance and removed his sandals, placing them in their appropriate place before rising to walk down the hall toward the receiving room.

The voices were so low that he couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but he could hear the low hum of his father's voice. Something about his voice sounded strained.

Shino reached the sliding doors and knocked.

"Ah, come in, Shino," said his Father.

Shino slid open the doors and took in the surroundings of the room.

In the middle of the floor sat the table his father usually only had set out for business negotiations or important meetings of the sort. On one side of the table he saw two older adult men who he recognized as members of the Aburame clan. They were distant cousins from Kusagakure, though he had not seen them since the war.

Between them sat a very beautiful young women, likely his age or a year or two younger, who looked slightly familiar. She wore glasses like the other two men — and he suspected she was from the Aburame clan as well.

His father and the clan elder sat on the opposite side of the table, and his father was giving him a very tight frown.

The table had been placed in the middle of the floor, and an assortment of papers sat around it. On some of the documents he spied his name, and another that made him flinch as soon as he recognized it. He began to realize what he was walking into.

"Shino, you've arrived home at a good time. Please join us," said his father rather stiffly, motioning to a spot between himself and the elder.

Shino walked in as calmly and stoically as he could, but he was tempted to turn and leave. As he took his seat and looked in the direction of his father, his father nodded at him stiffly and turned to look at the others across the table.

"I'm sure you will find the terms agreeable. We have amended them as much as we are willing to on our end. But much of the deal has been decided 13 years ago," said Shino's father. Again, there was a stiffness and a strong sense of discomfort in his voice.

"That is true, Shibi, but we are not completely satisfied with the amended terms just yet. We think more shares of the estate would suffice," said the younger looking of the two men.

"You are receiving as much as permissible by our clan's marriage laws. You will receive no more," said the elder, firmly. Shino could head traces of anger in his voice.

"Perhaps we could come to another agreement instead," said the older of the two men, looking between the clan elder and Shibi with a smile that made Shino feel uncomfortable.

"What are you suggesting," asked Shibi warily.

"What about an increase in her annual stipend," he said. "By 25%?"

"Absolutely not," said the elder angrily, slamming a hand on the table. "Look here, Shijiku, you money hungry—" but Shibi held up a hand to stop him from continuing.

"No more than 10%," he said firmly, looking at the man called Shijiku with a tight frown.

Shijiku looked to the other man, who nodded. The younger of the two men turned to look and Shibi and extended a hand, saying, "alright. We have a deal."

Shibi glanced at Shino — something no one else noticed but Shino — and he extended his hand and shook the man's hand.

"Well, it looks like you need to get started on planning your wedding, my dear Shiori," said Shijiku excitedly, clapping a hand onto the young girl's shoulder. She smiled up at him warily, then turned to look at Shino and her smile faded.

She straightened her body slightly, and bowed low to him, saying "I look forward to our wedding day, Shino. Thank you for asking to be my husband, and for your generous proposal of marriage."

He hesitated. Because of previous coaching he had received from his father and others he knew what he must do in that moment, but something about her words and the lies that ran through them filled him with a sense of foreboding.

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts — mostly due to the sharp glances he saw his father giving him from the corner of his eye — and bowed to her as well, saying, "I, too, look forward to our wedding day, Shiori. Thank you for accepting my proposal."

For once, he was glad that his tone was normally so stoic or else everyone in the room would've noticed his discomfort with saying those words. He could feel the muscles in his back tense slightly as he lifted up to look at her face to face, eye to eye.

He could tell that she was just as uncomfortable as he was, though not nearly as much as he would have thought she should be when she was about to marry someone she barely knew.

He turned to his father and asked, fearing the answer, "Father, when is our wedding date?"

"You will marry in 18 months," said Shibi.

Shino nodded once as he said "understood," and began to rise from his seat.

"If you will excuse me, I have a mission I must prepare for and a meeting to attend fairly soon." As he started to walk toward the door, he heard someone clear their throat, and he turned to see several faces staring at him expectingly. He nearly forgot…there are things expecting of him…now that he is engaged…

"Shiori. Please forgive me if I don't see you for an extended period of time. But I will be back soon and look forward to spending time with you during the courting period," he said, looking at her.

She smiled at him, and nodded as she said, "I hope your mission is successful and that you come back safe from harm. I look forward to spending time together."

He bowed slightly before turning to leave, closing the sliding doors behind himself.

He walked down the hall, climbed the stairs and opened the door to his bedroom. He walked in, closed the door, and leaned up against it, sighing and tilting his head downward. He exhaled, not realizing he had been holding his breath, and frowned deeply.

He had known this day would come, but it had come sooner than he expected.


	2. Chapter 2: The Shock

Kiba walked through the gates of the Aburame compound and turned toward the path that lead to Shino's house. All the while, he chatted away with Akamaru.

"So, you really think I was too hard on Hinata earlier," said Kiba, giving Akamaru a skeptical look.

Akamaru let out a low bark.

"But, I mean, come on. Surely there's some truth in what I said — you can't tell me you don't see it to. You and I have both seen the number of women who want Naruto…I mean, we can't get through a lunch or dinner out in public together without him being attacked by a stampede of chicks drooling and doting over him."

Akamaru whined.

"Yeah, yeah…I know. I've seen how he looks at them, too. He's not interested," said Kiba, waving a hand dismissively.

Kiba looked ahead of them, and smiled slightly.

"And…I've seen how he looks at Hinata. There is something more in his eyes. He feels something more for her than he does for them," said Kiba.

Akamaru barked happily in agreement.

Kiba turned to look at Akamaru with a small frown.

"But my point was what if he doesn't wait for her like she has for him. Does he really know how she feels about him? What if one of those women actually gets his attention? Enough that he decides to make a move? I mean, if he likes Hinata, why hasn't he made a move?!"

Akamaru whined lowly, bowing his head slightly.

"'Wasn't meant to be?' That's a tough thing for Hinata…well, for a lot of people to swallow," said Kiba warily.

He sighed, and looked ahead again, mind racing with thoughts of his conversation with Akamaru. All the while, he glanced around at his surroundings, and frowned slightly.

The Aburame compound was always eerily quiet and cold to him. There were rarely any children running around, and he never saw or heard families or animals beyond the steady hum of insects flying around the plants that seemed to be everywhere. Despite the lush greenery, the whole area smelled like a hospital — like cleaning products and staleness.

Shino's home came into view, and his frown dissipated slightly. The sights and smells of Shino's house were familiar — or as familiar as an Aburame could be to an Inuzuka. His home didn't smell like everything else in the compound. Instead, his home gave off the smell of the colorful and vibrant plants that surrounded it — different from the other homes in the compound and giving the area an overall pleasant smell of the earth and new life. The closer he came to the house, the warmer he seemed to feel.

When he knocked on the door, a servant answered with that characteristically stoic attitude of the Aburame.

While standing in the doorway, he began to explain, "I'm here to pick up Shino. We're heading to a meeting, and—"

"Yes, Kiba, I'm right here. Give me a moment," said Shino from behind the servant. Kiba glanced around the servant and saw Shino sitting on a bench down the hall putting on his sandals. Kiba sensed an abnormal amount of irritation in his voice, and was about to question it when heard Shino's father, Shibi, call to him.

"Shino, are you leaving now," he asked.

"Yes, father," said Shino. "I shall return this evening, and leave for my mission before dawn tomorrow." Kiba sensed more tension in his voice. His curiosity was peaking.

Shino stood, and was walking toward the door with his back turned to his father when his father spoke rather loudly and abruptly and said, "Have you told your new fiancée fair well? Perhaps Kiba would like to meet her, as well?"

Kiba's eyes widened as he looked at Shino with his mouth gaping open.

He could see Shino visibly tense, and for a moment he saw the corner of Shino's mouth shift uncomfortably — but he let no other emotion slip.

He turned to face his father as he said, "I apologize, father, but we are running late. I do not have time to—"

"Shino? Is that you leaving," said a mousy female voice from the depths of the house.

A young women with short, straight red hair and dark mirrored sunglasses walked into the foyer. Kiba noticed the way she seemed to walk slowly, and walked by placing one foot in front of the other in such a way as to over-emphasize her hips and make them sway just so. She had ample curves and cream colored skin. Her lips were large and curved slightly in the corners, making her look as if she were always smiling.

She reminded him of a cat. And, she was admittedly, very beautiful.

She walked past Shibi, giving him a small smile, and continued walking toward Shino. Shibi smiled at her cordially, but when she passed his smile faded and he looked at her uncomfortably.

When she reached Shino, she touched his arm, and smiled up at him. Kiba couldn't help but notice that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Though, she wore sunglasses, he could see in the reflection of her glasses that she wasn't quite looking at Shino when she was smiling up at him. She was looking beyond him — just parallel to his left ear.

When she placed that hand on Shino, Kiba felt a strange tightness in his stomach. Unsure of how to respond to it, he took it as foreboding. Especially when he saw the way that Shino seemed to flinch ever so slightly.

When she looked up at him and smiled, Kiba felt a burning sensation in his stomach, and a strange sense of anger. He didn't recognize this response to the situation at the time, but would come to later on. For now, even Akamaru was growling lowly in response to his master's emotions.

He looked up and saw the tension in Shino's face, and saw the way he seemed to be clenching his jaw. The burning sensation seemed to subside, but the anger seemed to rise.

Kiba could feel his own face conveying a wide variety of emotions, but he stilled it to a small sideways smile that he knew didn't quite seem genuine.

"Well…Kiba, this is Shiori. My…" started Shino, glancing at Kiba then Shiori — but he trailed off, looking at Shiori with obvious discomfort.

"Fiancée, right, so your dad told me just a moment ago," said Kiba, not quite looking Shino in the eye, but deciding it best to finish his friend's sentence since he was struggling. He turned to look at Shiori and looked her in the eye. "It's good to meet you, Shiori. I'm Kiba Inuzuka, Shino's teammate. I'm sure we will be seeing a lot of each other in the future."

"Inuzuka…that sounds familiar," she said, tapping her chin in contemplation. "Oh! Yes, you're from that dog clan, right?" She smiled at him innocently, but there was a note of laughter in her voice, and there was a definite tone to the way she said "dog clan."

Now it was Kiba's turn for his jaw to tighten slightly. "Y-yes, we are known for our care of and partnership with dogs." He could feel Akamaru tense beside him — a reaction to his master's emotions in that moment.

She smiled at him with a smile that rang with condescension. He could feel the anger simmering inside his stomach again. He glanced at Shino, who was frowning deeply and almost appeared to be leaning away slightly from Shiori.

Suddenly, Kiba did something he wish he hadn't in that moment. He glanced down and noticed the way she was stroking Shino's arm — the methodical, lazy way her fingers raked at his arm caused Kiba to feel things he wasn't familiar with. He would come to understand those feelings at a later time — though, much sooner than he would have liked. But, one thing he was familiar with was the anger he was feeling — and it was steadily coming to a boil.

Sensing the tension and beginning to feel disgusted by her touch, Shino pulled away from Shiori and said, "well, we really should be going. We are already running late. Goodbye, Shiori."

"Goodbye, Shino," she said, almost with a purr as she waved eagerly at him as he and Kiba turned to walk down the path away from Shino's house.

They both walked in tense silence and when they both heard the door close they both let out an audible sigh of relief.

They continued to walk in silence for a few moments — neither wanting to break the silence but neither knowing quite what to say nor wanting to be the first to speak.

When they exited the compound and walked out onto the streets of Konoha, Kiba said lowly, "so, when were you going to tell me that you were getting engaged?"

Shino inhaled and exhaled air loudly.

"Shino, am I your best friend," asked Kiba, looking up toward the sky.

"Yes," said Shino, lowly.

"Then why didn't you tell me," said Kiba.

"I didn't think it was important. And—"

"'Didn't think it was important,'" asked Kiba, rounding on Shino. "What could be more important to a best friend then knowing about his best friend's engagement?"

Shino pursed his lips tightly, but said nothing.

"Best friends tell each other things, Shino. How could you not tell me this?"

"It was decided years ago. Years before you and I ever started being friends, Kiba. And it's not something I want to talk about…willingly. I…have tried to forget about it, because…I didn't want to go through with it," said Shino, looking down at the ground.

Kiba looked at him with wide eyes. Then, he looked at him sympathetically.

"Shino," he said, lowly, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Then…well, then don't go through with it."

"It's not that simple. I have to. For the continuation of my line. And I have to marry her because my father signed a contract," said Shino, lowly.

"A contract," said Kiba, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. And we can't get out of it now," said Shino, mouth forming into a straight line.

"Are you sure," said Kiba.

Shino looked forward and said nothing for a moment, before he looked down again and said, "it is what my family needs, Kiba."

"But what do you need, Shino? What about your happiness?"

"My happiness is irrelevant," said Shino, shaking his head.

"What?! What do you mean? Your happiness is everything! You should do what makes you happy, Shino," said Kiba, stopping and grabbing Shino by the shoulders to face him.

"No, Kiba. That's not how this works. In this case. I have to do what's right for my family and for my clan. As the future leader of my clan I cannot focus on myself. I need…an heir…and I have to create one with a chosen Aburame female within my clan."

Kiba's eyes widened at this. Something about his words sounded…rehearsed. Like something he had been told he must do.

Shino removed Kiba's hands from his shoulders and turned to walk down to road. "Come on, we need to get Hinata and we are already late. Let's hurry up and go," he said over his shoulder, not looking at Kiba as he started to slowly walk ahead.

Kiba stared at him a moment, frowning. Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach. How could his friend not see that he was making a mistake? How could he not see that he could be throwing his life away — he could be entering into a loveless marriage or could be spending his life with someone he didn't want to be with. Kiba couldn't watch his friend do that. He would have to make his friend see reason…in whatever means necessary.

"Coming, Kiba?"

Kiba sighed, running forward to catch up with his friend.


	3. Chapter 3: The Reveal

When they arrived at the Hyuuga compound, they found Hinata waiting by the gates talking with the guardsman named Ko. She was chatting away with him lightly, and she would occasionally laugh at something he said or blush and tuck her hair behind her ear bashfully. Ko beamed happily, obviously enjoying their conversation. He would occasionally touch her shoulder affectionately or smile at her warmly — all things he rarely did before the war.

Kiba glanced at Shino with narrowed eyes, whose mouth formed a tight line. _Boy, Neji's not in the ground for more than a year and some people really get fearless,_ thought Kiba, as he turned back to the pair, eyes narrowing at the sight.

"Hello, Hinata," he said louder than necessary, though they were still a good bit away from her. He glanced between the two of them, eyes stopping briefly on Ko before he fell to Hinata and smiled warmly.

"Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, I was just talking about you two," she said, smiling warmly.

"Were you, now," said Kiba, smirking slightly as he glanced at Ko. "What about?"

"A recent mission. Remember when you and I had to play a married couple, Kiba-kun," she said, beginning to giggle.

"Ah, yes. I played an excellent husband," said Kiba, smiling proudly.

Shino snorted but bit his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing and Hinata covered her mouth to try to hide her new fits of giggles.

"Hey, what….you guys don't think I did a good job," said Kiba, scowling at them defensively.

"Y-You did fine, Kiba-kun," said Hinata, looking away from him.

"Kiba, Hinata is too nice to say it, but you were a terrible husband," said Shino, smirking at him.

"What the hell, you guys," said Kiba, looking back and forth between his friends with a scowl. "I was a good husband." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, sticking his nose up defiantly. "Matter of fact, I'd say that any woman would be lucky to have a husband like me."

Hinata glanced at Shino, biting her bottom lip. She willed him not to say anything, but he couldn't resist. She could see the retort working in his mind and he scowled at Kiba irritably.

"It's really not that important, you guys," said said, trying to ease the tension. "Um, aren't we running late? Shouldn't we go?"

Kiba rolled his eyes irritably but turned to half-smile at Hinata. Shino still scowled slightly at Kiba, but sighed loudly in agreement.

"Thank you for waiting with me, Ko," she said, turning toward him and smiling at him warmly.

"It was my duty and my pleasure, Lady Hinata," said Ko, bowing and glancing up at her, flashing a warm smile back.

"Yeah, yeah, that'll be all, Ko," said Kiba, pulling Hinata by the arm away from the gates. She started to protest and looked back at Ko, who looked at Kiba in outrage, but Shino blocked her view as he began to walk behind them.

Shino did spare a glare at Ko just before leaving, but it was so fast, he was sure Ko didn't notice.

"What was that for, Kiba-kun," said Hinata, glaring at Kiba when she was finally let go.

"Just doing Neji a favor," said Kiba as he grinned. Shino glanced at him and the corners of his mouth rose briefly, but fell back to their normal position. He was still irritated.

"Well, that was uncalled for," said Hinata with a huff, crossing her arms.

—-

They walked in silence for a few moments, chatting about this and that.

Kiba glanced at Shino, who was looking at the ground with his brow furrowed.

Hinata followed his eye line and noticed his expression as well. "What's wrong, Shino-kun?"

"You're not still thinking about earlier? Look, we've dropped it. Just let it go," said Kiba, rolling his eyes.

Shino scowled a little at Kiba and said, "No, I'm not thinking about that."

"Then, what's on your mind, Shino-kun," asked Hinata, looking at him with concern.

Shino stared ahead for a moment, unsure about how to share what he was thinking. But, Kiba could tell by his facial expression what he was likely thinking about.

"Shino here is getting married," said Kiba, point at him with his thumb, traces of doubt laid heavily in his voice.

Hinata raised an eyebrow at him, and turned to look at Shino. "Oh, I see. Has the time come, then?"

Shino pursed his lips and looked down at her. He nodded at her stiffly.

"I see," she said quietly, looking off to the side. She glanced at Kiba, who was looking between the two of them with his brows furrowed in anger.

"Wait a minute. Hinata. You knew about this," he said, voice hiding nothing of his anger.

"W-well…yes," she said, looking at him a little surprised but also timidly.

Kiba turned to Shino and said, "How is it that Hinata knew about this but I didn't?"

"The topic was easier to discuss with her, and was prompted during prior conversations," said Shino, looking pointedly away from Kiba.

"Who else knows about this besides me," asked Kiba, voice starting to rise.

"Kiba-kun, calm down. Is that really what's most important right now? Shino-kun is getting married, and he needs our support," scolded Hinata, frowning at Kiba. She turned to look at Shino and said, "when will we meet her?"

"Kiba has already met her, and—" started Shino, but he was interrupted by Kiba.

"Hinata, he doesn't even like her."

There was a moment of silence that passed between the three. Shino stared at Kiba hard, unmoving. Hinata looked between the two, settling on Shino and frowning with concern. "Oh, Shino-kun…"

"It's unimportant," said Shino dismissively and firmly.

Hinata began to open her mouth, but Kiba started to speak before her. "'Unimportant? UNIMPORTANT?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT?! THIS IS YOUR FUTURE WIFE! THE PERSON YOU WILL BE SPENDING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH!" roared Kiba.

"Kiba-kun, calm down, he's—"

"I've already talked to you about this, Kiba. It doesn't matter how I feel about her. Drop it," said Shino, voice starting to rise.

"No, I will not drop it! You are my friend and I care about you! I want to see you happy and with someone who you love and care about, and who does the same to you! And I don't understand why you can't have that — why that is so much to want for yourself!"

Hinata looked at Kiba stunned. She knew her friend cared about Shino, but didn't know the depths of those feelings. She was surprised to see him get so angry and passionate about this.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. We are nearly at the house. I said DROP IT, Kiba," said Shino, glaring at Kiba, who glared back at him.

Shino began to walk ahead of them as Kiba and Hinata slowed down behind him. Hinata looked at Kiba, who was glaring at Shino's back as he continued to walk ahead of them. But after a while, his expression lightened to pain, then he squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head, shaking it in frustration.

She placed a hand on his arm and said, "Kiba-kun, why do you care so much? It is his life and his choice. And he does have certain obligations to fulfill with his clan."

"I can't let this go, Hinata," said Kiba under his breath. "He's…my best friend. I don't want to see him throw his life away. It would be painful to watch him be unhappy for the rest of his life."

"Why are you so convinced that he would be so unhappy? What if he grew to love her? What if he—"

"You didn't see the way the two of them interacted today like I did," he said, looking over at her. She noticed that pain in his eyes again, but she couldn't quite identify it's source. "They had no chemistry. He was working so hard to get away from her as quickly as possible. She…" Kiba winced slightly, "touched him, and he flinched under her touch. I'm barely scratching the surface of the whole thing — it was devastating to watch."

She furrowed her brow at him and starting thinking to herself. Just how much did Kiba witness of their interaction? Does he honestly have a solid read on the situation…or is he building a case to suit his own opinion because he's angry about not knowing it would happen in the first place? And…why did he wince when he talked about her touching Shino?

"Kiba-kun," she said lowly, looking him in the eye. "Why did you wince when you said that she touched Shino? Did she hurt him? What did she do?"

Kiba's eyes widened in surprise at her question, then he looked away, scratching under his chin in contemplation. "Shiori is just…" he crinkled his nose, as if he smelled something foul. "She was all over him and was touchy-feely in a way that would make most people uncomfortable. I just didn't like…the way Shino seemed to react to it all, I guess." Kiba looked forward toward Shino, who was still walking ahead.

"What was your first impression of this Shiori, then," said Hinata, smiling slightly.

"She rubs me the wrong way. She seems opportunistic. She seems to make everyone uncomfortable, including Shino's dad. She seems to be trying too hard — pumping up the sexuality and wearing clothes that will get a man's attention," said Kiba, frowning.

"I see," said Hinata, looking ahead toward Shino. She was beginning to figure somethings out, but still had more questions. Now probably wasn't the time since they were being watched.

"Shino-kun is getting impatient. Our conversation is no longer private," she said, smirking at Kiba and pointing toward the wall next to them. Kiba narrowed his eyes and saw a small beetle crawling on the wall.

"Why, that—" he started, but Hinata placed a hand on his mouth to silence him.

"Not now. Let's just go," she said, motioning toward the direction of Shino, who had already turned around to look at them. He was standing and looking at them with his arms crossed, frowning deeply. His team mates ran to catch up with him, and when they reached him Kiba asked, "just how much did you hear?"

Shino's mouth twitched. "Enough," he said, scowling at Kiba. "Please refrain from sharing things like that about me with others without me knowledge."

Kiba rolled his eyes, "Yeah, alright. I was just venting. I'm sure you would've and have done the same to Hinata before. Don't get mad at me.."

Shino didn't respond to that.

To be honest, he wasn't sure how he was feeling after hearing what Kiba said.

When he heard Kiba talk about how he felt about Shiori touching him, he felt a strange twinge of guilt — especially after he saw the pained look on Kiba's face.

But he also felt a strange warmness in the pit of his stomach when Kiba so accurately accessed his feelings and the situation with Shiori. It made him uncomfortable.

He had felt this warm feeling before, and had very rarely relished in it. It felt dangerous, yet very right. It filled him with dread, but he found himself having to fight a smile and tried to form on his lips when he experience it. It was so complicated and so foreign that he never spent any time thinking about what it meant.

And he wasn't going to do it now, as per usual.

Instead, he turned and continued to walk ahead of them, shoving his hands into his pockets, continuing to look ahead with a deep frown planted on his face. They soon caught up to him and walked on either side of him.

Hinata glanced at him and couldn't help but notice the way that he kept looking at Kiba occasionally, but would look away before Kiba would notice. She frowned slightly at this, but before she could give it much thought, they had arrived at Shikamaru's.

When they reached the door, she reached toward the doorbell and rang it. Shikamaru answered it, greeted them warmly, and invited them in.


	4. Chapter 4: The Anger

" _YOU'RE_ getting MARRIED?"

Naruto was leaning forward, sticking out rather comically off the edge of the couch as he looked at Shino with his mouth and eyes gaping open in shock. They had been sitting in the living room waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive — and for now only a few members of their party were present. Hinata, Naruto, Shino, Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru all sat in the living room talking while others were in the kitchen or garden either helping Temari or holding their own conversations.

"Why do you find this to be such a surprise," asked Shino, frowning deeply, his voice laced with irritation.

Naruto sat next to Hinata, who looked at Naruto warily and touched his arm gently — trying to signal for him to sit back and calm down. He turned to look at her, and she gave him a slight pleading look. He pursed his lips then shifted back into his original seating position.

"I'm sure Naruto didn't mean it the way it sounded, Shino," said Hinata, smiling apologetically at Shino. "I think we are all just a little surprised. It feels very sudden. You rarely talk about personal things like this to the group and well…" she hesitated, glancing side to side timidly, trying to find the right words, then continued, "even though it's out of duty, it's still a bit shocking. Marriage is huge, don't you see?"

"I suppose," said Shino rather stoically. The scowl didn't leave his face.

"I just didn't think you would be the first one of us guys to get married," said Shikamaru with a small smile.

"Who did you think would get married first, then," asked Kiba, brow raised.

"Maybe Naruto…or Chouji," said Shikamaru, shrugging nonchalantly.

" _Me_?! Why? And, Huh? _Chouji_? Why Chouji," asked Naruto, looking at Shikamaru in bewilderment.

"Well, you're Mr. Popular these days and surrounded by ladies all the time. And, quite frankly, so is Chouji — especially since his victories in the war. And, he has clan leadership duties he has to fulfill in the marriage department sooner rather than later. His clan council has been putting him under pressure to get married," said Shikamaru.

"You're dealing with similar problems, Shikamaru," said Chouji, looking at him levely.

"Yeah, but my duty with constantly escorting the Suna Ambassador everywhere scares away the ladies, so I don't have nearly as many ladies coming to me anymore like you two," said Shikamaru, rubbing his neck warily. "And besides, my clan council isn't hounding me anymore."

"That's because they think you're courting someone," said Chouji with wink and a chuckle.

"I have no idea why they think that or who they think I'm courting," said Shikamaru, rolling his eyes, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. Everyone laughed or giggled quietly at him, and he scowled irritably before continuing, "Anyway, Shino, congratulations."

"Yeah, congratulations," said Naruto, turning and smiling genuinely at him. He then turned to look at Kiba and said with a sly grin, "We'll have to plan a bachelor party for him, Kiba."

"I don't want one," said Shino.

"Aw, come on," said Naruto, frowning. "It'll be fun."

"Your definition of fun and my definition of fun are vastly different," said Shino, "and besides, I don't know if I'm allowed to—"

"We're throwing you a party and your clan can just deal with it, Shino. They have to make some concessions on your happiness," said Kiba, frowning angrily.

"I already told you, Kiba, I don't want to discuss this anymore. My happiness isn't—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. 'Isn't relevant.' I just don't understand why you have to marry her. Do you even _know_ her," asked Kiba, frowning deeply.

"We'll have a year for the courting ritual before the wedding," said Shino, shrugging. "I know, admittedly, very little about her. We spent time together as children but that's all. Other than that, I've rarely seen her since. But a year is a good amount of time to get to know a person. Perhaps we will grow closer."

At his words, Kiba felt a strange lump drop into the pit of his stomach. His frowned deepened exponentially without his control.

"A year," repeated Hinata, eyes widening. "I didn't know it was that long. Maybe they will grow closer, Kiba. Shino might not be entering into an unhappy marriage as you say." Hinata couldn't help but notice the pained look on Kiba's face as she said those words, and he way he was looking at Shino. Her brow furrowed at that, but she quickly moved on.

"Hinata," said Kiba, turning to look at her levelly, "you haven't met her yet. She's…" He trailed off, chewing on his bottom lip in frustration.

"She's what," asked Chouji, looking at him with an eyebrow raised.

"She's…I don't know. Something about her makes my skin crawl. She and Shino have ZERO chemistry. But as much as she tries to cling all over him, she doesn't honestly seem the least bit interested in him. Not genuinely," said Kiba in frustration.

"Well…maybe she just hasn't developed that interest yet," said Hinata, shrugging. However, Kiba's words were beginning to trouble her.

"I highly doubt that's the case…" said Kiba, eyes narrowing.

"Can we stop talking about this," asked Shino, growing irritated again. "None of this is important. I'm going to marry her, plain and simple."

"No, NOT plain and simple," said Kiba, voice raising. "You should be thinking more about this stuff. It's IMPORTANT! What if she _can't_ make you happy? What if—"

"KIBA," shouted Shino. Eyes around the room widened at his sudden outburst. Shino had risen to his feet and was looking at Kiba angrily as he said, "I don't want to talk about this anymore. DROP IT! It's happening and I don't have a choice in the matter! Stop acting as if I do when you know full well the circumstances of the situation! There is nothing you or anyone else can do about it!" Shino then turned and walked out of the room and outside onto the porch.

Kiba gritted his teeth angrily, but said nothing and stared hard at the floor with narrowed eyes.

"Kiba…" said Hinata rather quietly, not sure what to say. She glanced at the others around the room, who were looking around at one another flabbergasted at the events. She sighed warily.

"It's fine, Hinata," said Kiba after a while, not looking at her. He continued to look at the floor. "I think I'm going to go check with Kankuro and the others in the kitchen and see if they need any help. I'll see you guys later," he said abnormally quiet as he rose and walked toward the kitchen.

Hinata bit her bottom lip warily and glanced at Naruto, who looked at her uncomfortably.

"What, um…what's the deal with those two," Shikamaru asked Hinata, brow raised and voice low.

"I have no idea. They've grown so much closer since the war. They call each other best friends, though they've always been a little rude to each other. But this…something has changed. Kiba is truly, truly upset about this engagement. Perhaps because he didn't know that Shino was going to have to get engaged eventually? But that doesn't seem to be it…"

"He seems so concerned about Shino's happiness," said Chouji. "That's all he keeps talking about."

"I can understand him being concerned about that," said Naruto. "He just wants to make sure his best friend doesn't make a huge mistake that could effect his whole life."

"Yeah, but…I mean, did you guys hear the way he described Shino's fiancée? He prefaced it with how she made him feel… But he kept talking about how they have no chemistry," said Shikamaru, brow furrowing.

"Do you think it's something more selfish than concern that a friend could be making a big mistake," asked Chouji, brow raised.

"I don't know," said Shikamaru. "Kiba isn't like that…selfish, I mean. But…" He trailed off, scratching his chin.

Hinata's brow furrowed. She was beginning to put the pieces together, but she wasn't quite sure if she knew what the answer was. She needed to talk to both of them, separately, to hear what they were thinking.

—

"Shino," said Hinata as she walked toward him. He was leaned over a rose bush inspecting a small bug that was crawling around the petals. There was a deep frown on his face. He didn't seem to truly be paying attention to the bug — he seemed lost in thought. She remained a few steps away, as if giving him space.

"Is…is everything alright," asked Hinata quietly, unsure of where to begin. She watched him timidly as he continued to stare at the bug.

He said nothing in response.

"Shino," she said, trying again, walking closer to him and moving to sit on the ground next to him. "I believe Kiba has good intentions when he continues to talk about your engagement and your happiness with your new fiancée. He cares about you. You're his best friend."

She saw the corner of Shino's mouth twitch slightly, but he said nothing. She continued. "He just wants you to be happy. I'm sure you would want the same for him if the roles were reversed."

Suddenly, he turned to look at her, his left eyebrow raised slightly. "What do you mean," he asked rather abruptly.

Slightly taken aback, she glanced side to side warily and said, "erm, well. What I mean is…I think you both share a deep bond. Something completely separate from our team…from me. You both know one another on a level that I do not. He understands you, and knows things about you that I do not…and vice-versa. And because of that, he saw something when he met your fiancée — and when he saw you two interact with one another. He knows you well enough to know whether or not she would be a fit for you, as far as life partners go. And he truly believes that she is not, and that you will not be happy with her. He saw how unhappy you were with her for the brief moments you were together — I'm sure all he wanted to do was to save you from that terrible situation. And what I was saying before was that I'm sure if you were in his shoes at the time, you would have felt the same way."

Shino's eyebrows rose high for a moment, then fell. He turned away and looked at the ground.

"I…I will not say that you are wrong," he said quietly. "But if he were truly in my shoes, he would understand that I am in a situation that I cannot change."

"And that is something that he needs to accept, yes," said Hinata, nodding sadly, "but, Shino, why can't you change anything? I mean, I know you must get married, but why her?"

He pursed his lips then turned to look at Hinata before he said, "my family has entered into a marriage contract with her family. One that was arranged when we were born. A beneficial deal on both sides — the terms would truly help my family very much. Though…because she comes from a lesser branch of our family, they are receiving more from the deal…especially since some of the terms have been changed recently…" he trailed off, turning away.

Hinata was all too familiar with these types of situations and touched Shino's arm sympathetically as she said, "oh, Shino, I'm sorry…" barely above a whisper.

"I would prefer that these details remain between us," he said, not looking at her. "I know I can trust you with this information, and I know you would understand my situation better than anyone else."

"Yes, I understand," she said, nodding. "I will say nothing."

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"But, Shino," she said, frowning. "This…this arguing with Kiba…it has to stop. You should talk to him. Tell him about the situation. Even if you don't want to tell about the deal…tell him to trust that you know what you are doing, and that you appreciate his concern."

Shino frowned again, and looked down at the ground as he said quietly, "I don't know what to say to him…"

"Do you want me to talk to him," asked Hinata, lips tightening into a firm line.

Shino sighed and said, "perhaps that would be best. He may understand everything better if it came from you."

"Alright," she said, nodding, "I'll talk to him."

—

She found Kiba talking heatedly with Kankuro in the kitchen as they sat at the kitchen table drinking glasses of beer.

"No way," he said loudly, taking a large swig, " _you_? 250 PUPPETS AT ONCE? Give me a break! I don't believe it!"

"I'll prove it, Dog-Breath! Come to Suna and I'll show you," said Kankuro, grinning and crossing his arms proudly.

"YOU ARE _SUCH_ A LIAR," said Kiba, pointing at the other man as he started chuckling.

"Kiba," she said, standing by the kitchen door.

He turned at looked at her, eyes narrowed as if trying to see something in the distance. She knew he was slightly drunk.

"Oh, Hiya, Hinata! Come to join us," he asked, point toward his glass with a happy lopsided grin on his face. "Kankuro here was just telling me a fairytale about a fictional puppet master who—"

"I'M NOT LYING, DOG-BOY! ITS 250! I'LL PROVE IT! I'LL—"

" _NO_ -errr, no, uh…"said Hinata rather abruptly, raising her hands up and walking over to the table quickly to stop the arguing from escalating any further. She looked side to side nervously, then said, "Kiba, I actually need to speak to you privately for a moment. Would you excuse us, Kankuro?"

Kankuro waved a hand dismissively, muttering lowly to himself "I'm not lyin'…" as Kiba began to rise from his chair and follow Hinata as she turned to walk out of the kitchen.

They walked out into the back porch and sat on the edge — Akamaru ran past them and out into the yard and ran around excitedly, sniffing every plant or piece of lawn furniture he came in contact with.

"So, what's up, Hinata," said Kiba, smiling lazily as he watched his companion trot around he yard merrily.

"I wanted to talk to you about earlier, and about Shino," she said, glancing at him warily.

Kiba's smile dropped substantially, but remained nonetheless as he looked away from Akamaru and his eyes traveled to the ground.

"Oh," was all he said. There was an awkward silence between them before Hinata started back up again.

"Yeah. Kiba, I…" she bit her lip uncomfortably, unsure of what to say next. Then she continued. "Your concerns about Shino's engagement. I believe they are valid."

His eyes widened slightly at that, as if he wasn't quite expecting he to say that. He turned to look at her and said, "really?"

"Yes. I think, out of any of us, including myself, you know him and what would make him happy the best. I truly believe that if you believe that they don't seem to have chemistry, and that she doesn't seem like the right fit for him, then I believe you would know that better than anyone," said Hinata, smiling.

Kiba smiled at her, and appeared as if some relief was washing of him. "Thank you," he said.

She nodded and smiled warmly, then continued, "but, Kiba, you must understand…Shino has to marry her. Out of duty to his clan. He does not have a choice. And I believe you know that," she said, looking at him levelly.

His smiled dropped and he pursed his lips as he turned away, looking at the ground.

"She may not be the most perfect match for him, but he may yet find some happiness in his marriage — our must trust in that and give them time and space to get to know one another," she said, head tilting.

His upper lip twitched and a pained looked crossed over his face, but it soon faded.

"Kiba," she said firmly, touching his cheek, making him turn to look at her.

He looked at her uncomfortably as she said, "why are you really so upset by this? What's wrong?"

"What do you mean," he said, looking off to the side, not meeting her eye anymore.

"You seem to be very hurt by all of this. You're taking this very personally. Why? What's wrong," she said.

He placed a hand on top of her hand on his cheek and pulled it away. He turned away from her and looked out onto the yard at Akamaru, and seemed lost in thought.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about…" he said quietly.

"I think you do," she said, frowning slightly. "Every time you've described his fiancée to me, or anyone else, you've talked about the way she's made you feel. And it's not positive — you always talk about how sick she makes you feel, or unnerving, or uneasy…why?"

"I…" he started, then he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I…I don't know," he said angrily, sighing with exasperation.

There was silence between them for a moment. Hinata watched him as he reached a hand up to rub his face, rubbing his eyes rather roughly.

"Well, Kiba, maybe you'll figure it out eventually," she said, watching him lean forward and rest his head in his hands. "But…until then, this arguing between you two needs to stop…"

He sighed quietly, and said nothing.

"Look, you have to give him some space on this, okay? With this…there isn't much we can do to help him. He needs us to trust that he is doing the right thing with his life and that there is no alternative. But also trust that he will try his best to make the most of the situation…I do truly believe, regardless of his slightly unkind words, he truly wants to be happy and believes that his happiness is important. He will do his best to find happiness — and I trust that he will do everything he can to find that happiness within his current situation," said Hinata, placing a hand on Kiba's back.

"Then why does he keep saying that his happiness isn't important," said Kiba, expression sour.

"Well…he's trying to tell you in his own way not to worry about him. You know how he is with communicating feelings like that…" said Hinata, looking off to the side.

Kiba nodded slightly in agreement, but said nothing.

"He just doesn't want you to worry is all. But I think he was also being…well…slightly brutally honest. His happiness isn't essential to the marriage arrangement — but that doesn't mean he doesn't personally think it isn't important, and that he isn't going to try and find it if he has the opportunity," she said, smiling.

Kiba looked at Hinata for a moment, then he half smiled at her and said, "I suppose you are right."

"Just, have faith in him. This arguing isn't going to help him," she said, looking at Kiba firmly.

"Alright, I understand," said Kiba, nodding.

He looking off to the side, then smiled slightly as he said, "I think I know one reason why I've been feeling the way that I do, Hinata."

She looked at him with a raise eyebrow, and he continued.

"I…I just…I just care about him," said Kiba, blushing slightly. "I can't describe it. When I saw her hanging all over him, I…I felt…I think I was…well…I don't know what I was. She just made me so angry. I wanted her gone. I can't explain it…"

Hinata's eyes widened, but she said nothing. She let him continue.

"The thought of them together…it makes me sick. And…I feel pain…" he touched his chest and said, "here. I do not know why. I think it's because I care so much. To see him so unhappy with her…his face when she was all over him…I…" he trailed off, looking away.

Hinata put a hand over her mouth, trying to cover a smile that was forming on her lips.

"Well, I don't know what any of that is. And maybe I never will, but—"

"Oh, Kiba…" she said, shaking her head.

He turned to look at her, and she was giggling.

He raised an eyebrow at her and said, "what?"

"I think one day, you will figure it out. Perhaps sooner rather than later. Maybe you should think more about how Shino makes you feel," she said, turning to looking out onto the lawn, a smile planted on her lips. She was glad that he suspicions were correct.

"What do you mean," he said, looking confused.

"You'll figure it out eventually," she said, turning to smile at him. "Say, i think it's close to dinner time. Did you want to go back in?"

"Uh…sure," he said, brow still raised in confusion.

She giggled as she rose to her feet and began to walk to the door.

His brow furrowed as he rose to follow her, looking out into the yard to call Akamaru as he moved quickly to catch up with her.

As he walked toward the door, he passed by a small beetle on the wall which he didn't see.


	5. Chapter 5: The Memories

After separating from his teammates, Shino entered the Aburame compound and went for a walk. He soon stopped to visit a secluded spot he sometimes went to when he wanted to be alone.

He sat beside a small stream — the silvery midnight moonlight shining down as the cool autumn air blew through the surrounding woods and across his exposed face. He sat on a large rock and pulled his legs up to his chest. He stared at the water of the stream as it sparkled in the moonlight while it trickled on by.

He knew he should have gone back home after the meeting, but he felt the urge to be alone. Beyond that, the cool night air was refreshing — helping to relieve him of some of the stresses and anxieties of the day.

However, as much as he tried to clear his mind, his thoughts wondered back to the conversation he wished he hadn't heard. Kiba's words to Hinata ran through his mind rapid-fire — and only confused him more about their current situation.

" _When I saw her hanging all over him…I felt…I think I was…well…I don't know what I was. She just made me so angry. I wanted her gone…"_

Shino reflected on these words and frowned deeply. Kiba's words were troubling — and Shino wasn't sure how to handle this new knowledge. He didn't want his friend to be upset, but Shiori would soon become a large part of his life. Kiba would have to grow used to her presence. Perhaps Shino could think of something to make the transition easier…

" _I just…I just care about him…"_

Shino's tried repeatedly to get that thought out of his head…but he couldn't. It kept returning.

And every time it did, he pictured a smiling, blushing Kiba as he said those words.

Shino grunted in annoyance as he felt his own cheeks warm. He could feel that familiar feeling resurface that he had felt earlier.

And he felt himself smile slightly as his whole body warmed at the thought:

"… _I just care about him…"_

Why? Why was he feeling this way? What did it mean?

—

Shino arrived back at his home much later than he had told his father to expect him — hoping that his father and their new house guests would be asleep by the time he returned so that he could avoid unwanted conversation.

He sighed in relief when he found that the whole house appeared to be asleep when he returned. However, when he walked down the hall toward his bedroom, he passed the guest rooms, and he muffled voices.

There was a tone of anger, mixed with anxiousness. He considered ignoring it all and walking on to his bedroom…until he heard his name.

"Father…I don't understand…why do I have to marry Shino," said an angry female voice.

Shino moves closer to the door and placed a small kikai on it to listen for him.

He continued to walk to his room, nervous about getting caught for eavesdropping, but eager to get away and listen to what was being said via his kikai. He closed the door to his room and sat on the floor again his door. He closed his eyes and listened.

"Shiori, we've talked about this a dozen times…" said an exasperated male voice. Shino soon realized it was Shijiku, Shiori's grandfather.

"Papa, it's not fair…I found a suitor in Kusa…he could provide the things our family so desperately needs and—" Shiori continued with a whine, but was interrupted.

"And what," said another male voice. This sounded like her father, Shinichi. "You loved him? Be sensible, Shiori. You have known your duties since the day you were born. Sure, we let you have your fun back in Kusa, but those days are over. It's time for you to do what you were trained to do — be a wife for the clan leader, produce an heir, and see that your family is taken care of for life. You _suitor_ …" he said with distain in his voice, "I don't care what he might have promised you. He could never do the things that the clan leader could do for us. Forget your little fling back in Kusa and assume your role in life here."

"I am sorry, my child," said Shijiku, genuine sadness in his voice. "You have no choice."

Shino hear silence sobs, but no other conversation for a while after that. Soon after, he called his kikai back to his room, and opened his eyes.

He frowned at this news. He was surprised to find himself filling with pity for her, but it was overshadowed with the anger he felt about his family being taken advantage of by a family who just wants his family's money.

He rose to his feet and sighed, rubbing his neck warily. He glanced at his beside clock and his frown deepened when he saw the time. He really needed to get to sleep — he had to leave for a mission tomorrow. He soon undressed and prepared for bed, sliding under the warmth of his covers.

He removed his glasses and stared up at the ceiling.

Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind again:

"… _I just care about him…"_

He growled in irritation an turned over go to sleep, shutting his eyes tightly.

—

Shino tossed and turned throughout the night as various thoughts and memories raced through his mind.

At one point, he drifted off into a deep sleep, and recalled a time when he was a small child, maybe 5 or 6, and he went with his father on a trip to Kusagakure.

He remembers visiting a relatives home, possibly Shijiku's, and being told to "run off and go play with your cousin, Shiori, in the gardens outside."

He remembered walked outside to find her sitting in a bed of flowers.

She looked up at him and said, "who are you," rather rudely.

He assumed it was because he was either disturbing her peace, or because she was still too immature to know better. He excused her, and said, "I am Shino Aburame. We are cousins. Don't you remember me?"

"Oh. Yeah, I remember you, Shino," she said, rolling her eyes and looking away while crossing her arms.

He furrowed his brow at this, but let it drop.

"Your Papa said for me to come out and play with you," he said, feeling the need to explain why he was outside, "It's probably because the adults just wanted the children outside and out of the way."

She turned and looked at him with a brow raised and said said, "huh?"

"Never mind," he said, shaking his head.

He began to walk toward her, and he eyed him warily as he walked around the flower bed to sit down next to her.

He looked at her, and she looked at him as if he were caring an infectious disease.

"What," he asked, growing annoyed. What was wrong with this person — did she have no manners?

She grunted and turned back to her flowers, eying him every now and again with a small frown on her face.

They sat in silence for a long time — neither attempting to engage the other in conversation, and neither particularly interested in engaging in conversation with the other.

Soon, Shino was growing bored of the situation. He knew his father would be displeased if he didn't at least try to become friends with his cousin. But she was just so…

"What that flower right there," he said quickly — perhaps a little too quickly. He knew he sounded like he was trying too hard.

He was pointing at a large blue and purple flower with petals that looked like they were weeping. The flower kept catching his eye the whole time he had been sitting in there.

"Oh," said Shiori, perking up slightly, though still sounding a little bored. "Its a pretty rare flower. Its nickname is the Weeping Rose. It's got a very unique smell. It is sometimes used in perfumes and it's known as an aphrodisiac in some villages. It's quite a hard flower to grow…it dies very easily if it isn't cared for properly. And once a gardener can get it to grow to a full bloom, it will return every spring at full strength. It's very resilient. There aren't many of these left in the world."

"Well, it is a very pretty flower," he said, smiling and leaning down to inspect it closer. He had a strange habit of doing that with everything — inspecting all things an inch away from his nose. "I wonder if we could transplant it and—"

Suddenly, without warning, a small foot came down and smashed it.

He was so surprised that he fell backwards onto his behind to move out of the way. He followed the foot, leg and body up to the person who stood on the pretty, rare flower.

"Let this be a lesson to you, Shino," said Shiori, staring down at him with a dark look on her face. "Nothing in life is so resilient that it cannot be ended quickly. Like this." She rubbed her foot in the ground, smashing the flower more into the dirt. "Life and the thing it provides is not never-ending, like the flower — nothing lasts forever. You and I are to be married one day. And when we marry, I have to make a child with you. Do you know what happens after we have a child?"

Shino gulped, and shook his head. He could guess, but he felt like right now wasn't the right time.

"I die, Shino. I. DIE. So what's the point of us spending time together, becoming friends, _falling in love_ and all of that? When in the end, you're just going to lose me once we have a child."

Shino's eyes widened in surprise at this, and his mouth gasped open slightly. He felt slightly stupid giving this expression, but it was what came natural in the moment.

"I…I didn't…" he started and stammered, not fully sure what to say to all of that.

But he was soon too late. Shiori moved away and walked around the garden. She turned to look up at him once to say, "it's not worth it, Shino," with a deep frown on her face before turning to walk away.

—-


	6. Chapter 6: The Realization

The next day, Shino arrived at the Inuzuka family compound about 30 minutes before dawn. He checked his watch, and stood outside the large gate of the compound with his hands in his pockets.

They were leaving to go on their mission today, and he was meeting up with Kiba before they rendezvoused with the whole team at the gates of Konoha.

Despite his need for sleep before a mission that was guaranteed to be long, he spent most of the night tossing and turning — his mind flooding with thoughts of Kiba and memories long forgotten of Shiori.

Her anger about their clan traditions and her place in it all was something he couldn't understand as a child. As intelligent as many believed he was compared to his peers (and he himself sometimes believed it so, too), he had not been able to comprehend her feelings in that moment.

And, truthfully, how could he? She was not like many of the other Aburame he had encountered. Everything she said and did was outlandish and abnormal. She was expressive of her feelings. Her thoughts. Her beliefs. This was something that was frowned upon by the Aburame clan, and many Aburame children were taught to stifle these things at an early age.

So why was she so different?

And, interestingly enough, as Shino had grown older over the years, he found himself rebelling naturally against those teachings of the Aburame clan - occasionally to the displeasure of his father or members of their clan council. It was perhaps the only way he had been able to function as a normal member of Team 8 — and he was convinced that spending the time that he had with Kiba had likely instigated and increased the level of severity with much of the rebelling over the years. And as much as he was made to feel guilty by his clan council for the things he did (though, strangely, not so much by his father), he did not feel one ounce of guilt or remorse in the long-run. The more he rebelled, the more he became more comfortable in his own skin.

So what instigated her rebellious tendencies?

Shino yawned quietly and checked his watch again.

Kiba was running late, as per usual. Even when they planned to leave at an earlier time, he's always guaranteed to be about 5-10 minutes late.

Shino sighed irritably an pushed the bridge of his glasses up his nose.

For the first time in a long time, Shino was slightly nervous about seeing Kiba.

Kiba's words made Shino feel things that he wasn't familiar with, and he wasn't quite sure how to process these strange emotions. Ultimately, he felt confused. He couldn't quite figure out how he truly felt about the things Kiba said.

But, he did know two things. He knew he didn't like hearing that Kiba was in pain because of him. And he did know that he cared about Kiba very deeply. He was starting to understand how Kiba felt about the whole situation.

Still, he couldn't say anything. To do so would alert Kiba to the fact that he heard his private conversation with Hinata. And he couldn't do that.

Instead, when Kiba finally appeared, he greeted Kiba with his usual curt nod, who gave him a half-smile. Shino noticed the dark circles under his eyes indicating his lack of sleep as well. _Had he been awake all night as well,_ he thought, watching Kiba turn to close the gate. _Perhaps thinking about how he feels about me. I wonder…how does he feel about me…_

 _Such a strange question to be thinking about,_ he continued to think as they turned to walk down the road to the gates of Konoha. He furrowed his brow slightly as he though, _why do I care?_

He glanced sideways at Kiba, who was yawning into his hand before reaching down to pet Akamaru lazily lazily on the head.

 _I wonder if he even cares what I think about him_ , thought Shino, lips pursing in annoyance before falling back into their natural stance.

"Hey, Shino, let's take the short-cut. I want to get there early so I can check my gear," said Kiba, glancing at him, waiting for a response.

"Okay," said Shino, nodding curtly again.

Kiba smiled before turning back to look ahead.

Shino continued to watch him for a moment as he thought, _just what do I think of him?_

* * *

After they left the village, they traveled for the much of the day. It took much longer to get to their destination because they were traveling in a large group — but they were able to take many opportunities to familiarize themselves with their fellow teammates and even talk more about strategy for the mission.

As evening fell, they decided to stop for the day and make camp. Each were given tasks to help set up their small living space for the night — and Shino, Kiba and Hinata were asked to hunt for food in the woods. His teammates had spread out, taking in a large scope of the forest in hopes of accomplishing their task quickly and with more success.

The place they chose to stop at was not far from an area that was considered a major battle-zone during the war. Shino soon reached the edge of the forest that met up with the now flat and desolate battlefield. Something caught his eye a few feet onto the field and away from the edge of the forest. He walked onto the field and when he came upon it he soon realized what it was.

It was the setting sun reflecting off of a shinobi headband that was buried in the ground. He squatted down to pick it up and noticed that the ties were completely intact — there wasn't a trace of tattering on the band, as if the band had just slid off the forehead of the shinobi who wore it. His brow furrowed slightly at the sight. A shinobi is taught to treat their headband as a valuable piece of armor — to secure it tightly on their forehead. If this is done correctly, it's almost a sure way to avoid getting the full impact of a shuriken or kunai to the head.

Something about the scene reminded him of the words Shiori spoke all those years ago: "Nothing in life is so resilient that it cannot be ended quickly…" Like with the stomp of a small child's foot, or perhaps in this case, a strong and quick blow to the skull.

Shino frowned deeply at this. Though these were lessons taught by his sensei and other adults he respected, these were all thing he found that he had not fully understood until he had lived through the war.

He placed the headband back onto the ground and rose to his feet. Suddenly, he sensed a presence behind him and turned to see Kiba. He was leaning up against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest, and he had a very solemn look on his face as he looked at the headband on the ground.

When his eyes met Shino's, there was a mix of emotions in them. Pity, sadness, concern, and another emotion Shino couldn't quite read.

"Were you thinking about the family and friends that you lost," he asked, as Shino moved to walk back toward the forest.

"No," he said. That would partially explain Kiba's emotional response — he knew that Shino had lost more family members than he had. "I was thinking about the finality of life, I suppose."

"That's dangerous for a shinobi to think about," said Kiba, smirking a little. It soon dropped. "Why were you thinking about that?"

"While sleeping last night I recalled a memory of Shiori and myself as children."

"Uh-huh," said Kiba in a slightly disinterested tone, glancing away and lifting off the tree. "What about it?"

"During the memory, Shiori told me that after she gives birth to my child, she will die," said Shino stoically.

Kiba's eyes widened and he turned to look at Shino quickly. "Wha…what," he asked, barely above a whisper.

"After she gives birth to our child, my heir, she will die," said Shino. He looked down at the ground.

"But…wait, what?! But, why," asked Kiba, voice raising out of shock.

"The months that Aburame women carry children and child birth are incredibly dangerous for Aburame women because of our relationship with the kikaichu.

During the 9 months that the child is carried, the mother is put through intense strains on her chakra levels — she must keep the kikai satisfied but also feed the appropriate amount of chakra to the child she that is carrying. She is under constant strain — and some women do not make it through this period. Aburame women have more chakra than men, but it isn't always enough. However, the women from Shiori's family are known to have extraordinary supplies of chakra and are able to make it through the gestation period without dying.

Childbirth is difficult because the mother becomes so weak that she is unable to control the flow of chakra to either paths. During childbirth, the kikai feast on both the chakra of the mother and of the child.

The mother must then choose from three options — give all of her chakra to the child so that it will live; try to maintain the flow of chakra two all parties; or try to control the kikai with their own chakra and stop giving chakra to the child.

All pose huge risks. Shiori has been trained to do one of the first two options, and has learned to control her kikai more finely than any of the other females in our clan. Because of her station, option 3 can never be an option for her.

But, even if the childbirth goes well, there are huge risks right after childbirth. That is when the mother is at her most weakest and vulnerable. Almost all of the women in Shiori's branch have succumbed to death by kikaichu after giving birth successfully to a healthy child."

Kiba was staring at him as if he were insane. "I just…I don't understand. Why aren't there measures in place to prevent this? Doctors? Medics? Anyone to help her regulate her chakra?"

"When we Aburame formed our relationship with the kikaichu, we agreed to certain terms. Pregnancies and births are closely guarded, but are we are not to interfere with the natural flow of things. These conditions present stronger offspring and more worthy hosts for the kikaichu," said Shino.

"But…but what about after childbirth? You didn't mention that," asked Kiba.

"Aburame women never truly recover after birth. Their chakra levels are forever vastly depleted due to their weakened state, and they become unable to support their kikai, which cannot be removed without killing the women. See, over time, the kikai prevent us from catching diseases and viruses that our bodies have not build up immunities toward. To remove the kikai would expose us to those things and we would not live long.

We can keep the woman alive by chakra pills and things like that, but you and I both know that those cause wear and tear on the body. Unfortunately, there is little else that can be done. The kikai require a strong host, and if the body hosting them becomes weak, they will attack and find a new host," said Shino, shaking his head and looking down at his feet.

"I don't understand…" said Kiba, shaking his head. "That's…that's horrible, Shino. How can the women in your clan be accepting of that?"

"Most see it a sacrifice that comes with duty. Most are honored to give their lives in the pursuit of bringing more children into this world," said Shino.

"Most," said Kiba, brow raising. "Not all, then?"

"No. Truthfully, I've only met one exception, and that is Shiori," said Shino, who was starting to walk back into the forest.

"Oh," was all Kiba said quietly, looking off to the side with a small frown on his face.

He soon look at Shino with a sad, sympathetic look on his face, then sighed and moved to catch up with him. He caught up and walked next to him, hands in his pockets as he continued to frown. He appeared lost in thought.

There was silence between them for a moment.

"Must you mate with other Aburame," asked Kiba lowly. He already knew the answer, but he had to ask.

"Yes," said Shino.

More silence.

"Shino," said Kiba, voice still quiet. "How…how do you feel about all of this? Knowing that she will die?"

More silence.

Kiba stopped walking and looked at Shino, who walked a few steps ahead and stopped. The wind blew through the trees and whistled softly.

When the wind died down, Shino said quietly, "It doesn't matter what I think," as he continued to look forward.

Kiba frowned at this. He walked forward one step and said. "Shino, that's…that's not the point. I know what you're saying. But I'm…"

He hesitated, then walked forward the remaining steps to meet him and placed a hand on his shoulder to turn him around to face him.

"I'm your best friend. Tell me how it makes you feel. I know it makes you feel something, and it's not healthy to keep it all inside or to ignore the way that you truly feel. I understand that you have a duty to be strong…to be a good clan leader someday who doesn't let his emotions cloud his judgment or let tragedies keep him from performing his duty. But that should keep you from confiding in your friends," he said, looking at him with such a softness in his eyes, Shino felt a little breathless.

"I…" Shino started, but hesitated. He glanced side to side, then furrowed his brow. "This…isn't very easy for me to talk about, Kiba. Emotions, feelings and the expression of those things come so easily to you — likely because you weren't raised to hide them away. They aren't natural for me."

"But they are," said Kiba, smiling slightly, "you just don't know what they are or how to show them properly. But you have them, Shino. Everyone does. And finding an outlet to let them out would help you learn how to process them."

"Perhaps you're not the best outlet to field my emotions, Kiba," said Shino, irritation in his voice.

"What? Why," asked Kiba, brow furrowing and frown forming on his lips.

"Because the vast majority of the emotions that I have trouble processing are related to you," said Shino, without realizing what he said before the words left his lips.

Kiba's eyes widened. "W…What," he said softly, "what are you talking about?"

Sensing there was no turning back now, Shino moved out of Kiba's grasp and moved to sit on a nearby rock. "It's…it's difficult to explain."

"Try," said Kiba, staring at him hard.

"Well…being around you…makes me feel…whole. I feel like I can be my true self around you, and when I'm not around you, and I'm with my family for instance, I feel…empty. Alone. Like I cannot be my true self. And when you're sad, or angry, or happy, or feeling almost anything…I feel it, too. I care about you deeply. More deeply than I ever thought I could possibly care about another person. And…all of these feelings I have…because I feel like I've just barely scratched the surface of it all…all of it is so complex and so foreign to me that it all honestly frightens me. I don't understand any of it, and I've always just…steered my thoughts away from any of it," said Shino, finally looking up at Kiba with an exasperated look in his face.

Kiba was staring at him with a light blush tinting his cheeks and his mouth open slightly in surprise.

Shino furrowed his brow in annoyance and said, "this is not making me feel better about it all. Your response is making me feel like I said something extremely embarrassing, Kiba."

"Oh," said Kiba suddenly, as if broken out of a trance. He moved over quickly to Shino and stopped right in front of him. He wasn't sure what to do or say, but all he knew was: he needed to hear that. He was having to fight the urge to grin ear to ear.

"I feel the same way, Shino," said Kiba, smiling warmly. "I've talking to Hinata about these feelings and she seems to know what they are but says we should figure it out on our own and…to be honest, I don't know what it all means either. But what I do know is that if we feel the same way, it means something important. We shouldn't ignore these feelings. Wouldn't you agree?"

Shino paused, then nodded slowly, smiling slightly.

"We'll figure it all out together, okay," said Kiba, "that will make this a lot easier. We're in this together. You and me."

"Right," said Shino, continuing to smile.

"I'm always here for you, Shino. You can share anything with me," said Kiba. Then he grinned and said, "I'll even be your shoulder to cry on, if you need it…"

"Oh, shut up," said Shino with a grunt as he began to rise to his feet. He looked up at the sky and frowned slightly. "We've been gone for a while. Let's go find Hinata and finish looking for food."

Kiba nodded and pointed in the direction that he sensed Hinata. Shino nodded and went on ahead. Kiba watching him for a moment, then smiled to himself as he moved to catch up with Shino.

* * *

"You two were gone for an awfully long time," said Hinata, placing several rabbits on the ground next to the rest of their food. "I think I've got enough. This, along with all the fish Naruto and the others are catching should be plenty." They had just arrived back at the campsite.

She rubbed her neck warily and deactivated her byakugun before glancing at Kiba, who was sitting on the ground leaning against a tree. He was scratching the top of Akamaru'a head lazily and looking off at something with a dreamy look in his eye. She furrowed her brow at this and followed his gaze. Her eyes fell to Shino, who was helping one of the groups set up a tent. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Did something happen in the forest between you and Shino, Kiba," asked Hinata, turning to look at him.

As if broken out of a trance, he turned to look at her with a surprised look on his face and said, "huh? What'd you say?"

She smiled and said, "I said, did something happen in the forest with you and Shino? Something seems…" she glanced in the direction of Shino, who was turning at looking at Kiba with a small smile on his lips, "w-well…different, to say the least."

"Not really," said Kiba, struggling. A smile painted his lips.

"Well, something happened. You seem to be in a good mood," she said, smirking.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, looking away from her and down at Akamaru.

"Hmmm," she said, rolling her eyes slightly. "Well, if you don't want to tell me, then that's okay. It's really none of my business."

She then turned to walk away, but before she could walk more than two steps she heard, "wait, Hinata, there is…something…um…"

She smirked, then turned around.

"Well, we talked about our feelings," he said, blushing slightly. "We both feel the same about each other but we don't really know what any of it means. We're going to figure it out together," he said, smiling softly.

Hinata's eyes widened. "Really," she said, "you talked about your feelings? You told Shino how you felt?"

"No, the opposite. He told me how he felt, actually," said Kiba, smiling warmly to himself.

Hinata's eyebrow raised at that, but she didn't voice her thoughts.

"Hinata," called Ino from over by the campfire. "Can you come help with this? And bring over the stuff you guys caught — we'll go ahead and start preparing it."

Hinata nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to look at Kiba, who had already turned to look at Shino. She smiled slightly and said, "well, I hope you figure out how you feel quicker since you both are figuring it out together."

"Me too," said Kiba, but then he frowned slightly. "Though, lots of things are still very confusing."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon. But you know I'm always here for you, Kiba-kun, if you want to talk about it," she said, smiling and turning to walk away.

Kiba smiled in her direction, then turned to look back at Shino, who was frowning deeply as he watched Kankuro struggle with his side of one of the tents.

Kiba leaned his head back up against the tree and sighed as his mind started to race.

* * *

Nightfall came and everyone split up into their respective tents.

Hinata motioned for Shino to remain behind as the others walked to the tents to head to bed.

"What is it," he asked, moved to sit beside her on one of the logs by the campfire.

"Kiba told me that you two had a conversation about your feelings," she said, looking at the fire.

He stared at her for a moment, not totally knowing where she was going with the conversation. "Yes…I told him how I felt about him," he said. There were stray notes of confusion in his voice

"I see. Why," she asked.

He hesitated, the said, "I…I just thought…he should know…"

"And why is that," she said, growing amused but keeping it hidden.

Shino sighed. "I heard your conversation with Kiba the other day. I eavesdropped with a kikai. I know that he is having a hard time understanding how he feels about me—"

"Why did you do that, Shino? It was supposed to be private," she said, turning and frowning at him.

"Yes, I know. I was just angry at Kiba. I wanted to know what he was saying about me," said Shino, shaking his head in shame.

"But why share how you feel with him? You didn't have to do that," she said, tilting her head slightly.

Shino pauses, then turned to look at the fire. He frowned slightly and said "I suppose…I'm just confused about how I feel, too. But I wanted him to know that I feel the same way that he does — that he isn't alone in figuring this out."

Hinata smiled at that. "I see," she said.

"HEY, SHINO! COME HERE FOR A MOMENT, WILL YA, SHIKAMARU WANTS A WORD," shouted Kiba as he waved from the entrance of one of the tents.

Shino sighed and looked at Hinata with an apologetic smile. She nodded in acknowledgment and he rose to his feet to leave.

* * *

Shino was back in the gardens of his relative's house in Kusa except this time he was alone.

He walked around gardens, the portico surrounding the garden and even looked to the bright sunny sky and saw no trace of another person. He sighed, and sat on the ground where he sat before with Shiori. He couldn't help but notice that the flower was still there, but the bud was closed.

Suddenly, he heard a female voice, but he didn't recognize it.

Well, now that he thought about it, he did recognize it, but he hadn't heard it in so long that it wasn't familiar to him anymore.

It was small, but it seemed very warm and soft and kind. The words it spoke were incoherent until he suddenly heard his name.

And when he heard his name, it was then that he recognized the voice.

"Mother," he asked in confusion, brow raised. He hadn't thought about his mother in years.

He looked around again, trying to find the source of the voice.

Suddenly, it spoke crystal clear, but it seemed to come from nowhere.

"There can only ever be one, Shino. Two will always breed conflict."

"One what? Two what," he asked out loud.

"Only one. With two comes conflict," said the voice.

"Two what," he said louder, rising to his feet and looking around. "Mother, speak plainly. What are you talking about?"

"Two will bring tragedy, pain, suffering. There can only ever be one," said the voice.

"Are you talking about children," said Shino, "I only have to have one heir. Father said—"

Suddenly, clouds overtook the sky and made everything dark accept for small ray of light that shined on the flower.

All of the sudden, Shino heard his name from the flower. It was a very, very familiar voice. One that filled his whole body with warmth and comfort. He fell to his knees and crawled over toward it, and leaned close to it.

The flower then slowly began to open and inside it was the face of Kiba, smiling up at him.

"Hi, Shino," he said warmly, "everything will be okay. We are in this together. You know I'm always here for you — it's always going to be you and me, okay? We'll figure everything out, and—"

Suddenly, a foot slammed down onto the flower, crushing it. Shino heard Kiba scream in terrible pain, and then he heard horrifying silence. Shino gasping for breath as he looked up at the figure looming over him. It was hidden by shadow, but he could make out the outline of a woman carrying a child.

The figure leaned down to be face to face with him as and he realized it was Shiori. Shivers ran up his spine.

"Why…why did you do that," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, filled with fear, but anger still present.

"You honestly don't know, Husband," she asked, her voice booming.

He swallowed, and shook his head.

"Because there can only ever be one," she said. Then she leaned back up and laughed loudly, her voice echoing across the whole garden and rattling off the portico walls.

* * *

Shino jerked awake and he let out a silent gasp.

His face and body was covered in cool sweat that made him shiver.

He sat up and looked around. Everyone else appeared to be asleep, but he noticed that the tent flap had come open and because he was the closest to the door, he was feeling the full force of the cool night air. He sighed, and crawled to the end of his cot and stood up to close the flap.

When he rose to his feet, he felt the full extent of his night sweat and just how much it covered his body.

He knew he couldn't get back to sleep without changing his clothes — and honestly, he would prefer to wash off quickly before changing.

He sighed, and reached into his pack at the end of his cot for a change of clothes before leaving though the tent flap to head down to the small river.

He soon reached it and placed his clothes on a rock beside the river. He took off his wet clothes and stepped into the water.

The cool water was refreshing yet brisk in his skin as he slowly sank down deeper and deeper into the water.

He was about to come out and head back to bed when he suddenly heard a noise. It appeared to be coming from the tree that hung over the river.

Shino's eyes narrowed slightly at this, and he let out a few kikai to check it out and confirm his suspicions. Within moments, they returned with confirmation.

He rose until the water was about waist deep and cleared his throat before he said, "Kiba, what are you doing here? Aren't you and Naruto on watch?"

He heard a low growl of annoyance as Kiba soon emerged and moved to sit on one of the low hanging branches over the river. He sat with his arms crossed and planted an annoyed look on his face.

"I told Naruto I wanted to check on the noise by the river. I thought It smelled like you, but I wanted to be sure. He's using his clones to make sure everything gets covered," said Kiba, waving a hand in dismissal, an annoyed frown on his face.

"Uh-huh," said Shino, "why did you come yourself? couldn't you have just sent Akamaru instead? And why were you sneaking around in the trees?"

Kiba froze and his eye seem to widen slightly in mild panic. He glanced side to side and scratched at a place on his check as he said, "erm, yeah, I suppose so. But I left him with Naruto. Some one needs to watch that idiot and I definitely trust Akamaru to do it…"

Shino smiled slightly at that but said nothing.

There was silence between them for a moment before Kiba said, "so why are you out here so late bathing?"

"I just felt like taking a bath," said Shino, turning away.

"Uh-huh, like I believe that," said Kiba with a smirk. Why are you really out here?"

"No reason," said Shino.

"Come on. I thought we were being honest with each other," said Kiba with a whine, "I thought we were—whoa!"

Suddenly, the branch he was sitting on broke and he fell in the water.

Shino turned as he was falling and when he saw him in the water he couldn't help but let out a small snort of laughter.

He moved through the water over to Kiba and pulled him up out from under the water.

"Are you okay," asked Shino, a small smile on he face as he tried not to laugh.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The branch just broke so I…are you laughing at me? I'm glad you find this amusing, Shino," said Kiba, a blush tinting his cheeks as he tried to pull out of Shino's grasp.

"Sorry, I'll stop laughing," said Shino, trying to straighten his face. He gave Kiba a once over and said, "you should take your clothes off."

Kiba's eyes widened at his words and his blush deepened. "I…huh? W-What? Why," he said, voice a little hoarse.

"The river water and your ninja gear. You keep sinking into the water without me holding you because of your gear. And you need to let your clothes dry," said Shino matter-of-factly.

"O-oh, right," said Kiba, nodding. Shino looked at him with an eyebrow raised as he moved to get out of the water. Kiba went behind a rock and removed his clothes, which was strange. They have certainly dressed in front of one another before — and bathed in front of one another, too. And Kiba certainly wasn't the type to be shy about his body.

"Are you okay," asked Shino, again. "Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"

"What? N-no, why," said Kiba, moving to get back into the water. He was covering himself in the midsection.

"You just seem…strangely shy," said Shino, both eyebrows raised as he looked down at Kiba'a hands.

"Oh, uh," Kiba moved his hands with a sigh and said, "it's nothing. I'm fine. Seriously." He looked up at Shino and smiled his normal toothy grin. But he seemed to move pretty quickly to get into the water.

"Alright, if you say so," said Shino, still a little doubtful.

"Anyway, getting back to more important things, why are you out here," said Kiba. He moved to float on his back, and turned smirk at Shino as he said with a wink "see? Not shy."

Shino frowned and rolled his eyes as he said, "I just had a nightmare. I woke up sweating." He was trying to keep his eyes in Kiba's face as Kiba floated in front of him.

"Another nightmare," asked Kiba, turning his head to look at him, brow furrowing with concern. Shino nodded, but looked down at his hands and he was beginning to realize how hard he was working to keep his eyes on Kiba'a face.

"Yes, though this time it was…slightly different," said Shino, frustration laced in his voiced.

"In what way," asked Kiba, turning his head to look up at the sky.

"Well, it…can you please stop that, it's really distracting," said Shino, sighing in annoyance and pinching his nose bridge.

"Stop what," asked Kiba turning to look at him again.

"The floating," said Shino, flustered. "It's just very distracting. I can't think straight."

Kiba smirked and let the lower part of his body sink into the water so that he moved to a normal standing position.

"Thank you," said Shino in annoyance. "Anyway, it was a very confusing dream. My mother spoke to me. And Shiori was in it. And so were you."

"I was," said Kiba, frowning slightly. "What happened? And…your mom? You hardly ever mention her. What did she say?"

"As I said before, it was all very confusing. My mother said strange things to me, but I'm not really sure what they're about," said Shino, ducking down into the water so that it was just under his nose.

Kiba looked at him for a moment before he said, "well, what did I do?"

Shino hummed slightly, then said, "you were a flower. You bloomed, and you told me we would always be together."

Kiba's eyes widened, "w-what? I was a flower and…what?"

Shino shrugged a shoulder and turned away to look down the river. He was glad Kiba didn't ask what his mother said, and he was glad Kiba didn't seem interested in what Shiori was doing in the dream. He wasn't really sure how Kiba would have reacted to all of it.

"Well…I…I-I guess there is some truth in what I said in your dream," said Kiba rather quietly.

Shino turned back to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Kiba had lowered down into the water until it sat just below his chin and he was looking down hard at the water — a small blush was on the tops of his cheeks.

"We're best friends. I'm always going to be here for you. So I guess…" he looked up at Shino, "we'll be together forever?" He looked down at the water again and hurriedly said "A-as best friends, I mean," as his brow furrowed and his cheeks darkened further.

The corner of Shino's mouth raised slightly at the sight of him and Shino felt a surge of warmth flood through his body at Kiba's words. He felt himself move instinctively closer to Kiba and he stopped to face him.

They were looking at one another — Shino slightly higher out of the water than Kiba, who was looking up at him with both eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I agree. Together forever, as best friends. You and me," said Shino — there were unexpected traces of warmth in his voice that surprised Kiba, and his mouth opened slightly in response.

Kiba couldn't hide the grin that was forming on his lips, but he was tired of feeling embarrassed about everything this evening. So he lifted his hands out of the water and pushed Shino back, who gasped and fell back into the water.

"You mean, together until I get tired of your annoying lectures, your whining, your insults…really, until I get tired of you," said Kiba, rising out of the water and turning to leave, laughing as he walked a few steps toward the shore.

Suddenly, he felt something pull his legs out from under his body, and he cursed as he was pulled under the water.

Soon, Shino and Kiba were splashing water at one another, laughing, and lunging at the other to try and push the other down under the water.

"YOU WON'T WIN THIS ROUND, SHINO! I'LL—"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING OUT HERE," yelled a voice from the edge of the river.

Both men turned to see Naruto looking at them angrily with his arms crossed.

They were standing with their arms wrapped around one another — their bodies close because they had been trying to push the other backward into the water.

They glanced at one another, realizing just how close their faces were to each other. then quickly split apart. Kiba cleared his throat and said, "I fell in the river. I was waiting for my clothes to dry, so I decided to take a dip. I figured you had the watch covered for a little bit, and Shino also happened to be bathing. That's what that noise was. We were just chatting."

"Chatting," said Naruto, his eyes narrowing slightly in disbelief.

"Yeah," said Kiba with an unconvincing chuckle as he scratched at a place on his cheek. He looked off to the side and said, "I should probably go check on my clothes. They're probably dry by now."

Shino watched him as he moved to get out of the water. Naruto watched him with a sour look of disapproval on his face.

* * *

It was morning and the team had packed up and were continuing their journey to Amegakure. Because of the size of their group, they were walking of foot down a large road through the forest.

Kiba watched as Shino spoke with Shikamaru and Kankuro about the mission. He soon felt Hinata's presence beside him, and he turned and smiled at her ok acknowledgement.

"I heard you went for a night time swim last night," she said, frowning at him. "You shouldn't have evaded your duties like that, Kiba."

"I know, and I apologized to Naruto many times. Did he tell you that, too," said Kiba as he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Yes, he did," said Hinata, letting out a small sigh.

Kiba turned back forward and looked at Shino again. He smiled.

"But I was glad I did it. I was able to spend some time with Shino. And…" he leaned closer to Hinata and whispered, "I think I know more about how I feel about him."

"You do," said Hinata as her eyes widened.

"Yes. I…" he glanced around, making sure no one could hear his words before he whispered behind a hand, "I realized...I think I'm attracted to him."

"Really now," asked Hinata sarcastically, a smirk forming on her lips.

"Yes, but…I'm a guy. And he's a guy. I shouldn't…" he started, but trailed off, looking off to the side.

"Why does that matter," said Hinata, frowning a little. "There are lots of male couples in Konoha. Did you know that Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei are together?"

"They are," asked Kiba, his eyes widening and mouth gaping open.

"Yes, it's pretty common knowledge. You didn't know," she asked, head cocking to the side.

"No! Wow…" said Kiba, glancing side to side as if lost in thought.

"Anyway, it's not a big deal. But, Kiba…he's getting married," said Hinata, frowning.

"Yes, I know," said Kiba sadly. He turned to look at Shino and sighed. "I laid awake all night last night thinking about that."

"What are you going to do," she said, "are you going to tell him?"

Kiba frowned deeply. He watched Shino scowl as Kankuro appearing to be laughing at him over something he said.

"I haven't decided yet," said Kiba quietly. He could feel a tightness in his chest as he said, "but either way, it doesn't matter. She is the one who has him."

—

a/n: HELLO MY LOVES! :D

I hope you are enjoying this story so far! If you're at all lost on the background happenings of this story, please remember that it follows the plot line of my Allied Shinobi Chronicles: Story 1 so much of the "missing details/content" can be found in that story! Please be sure to read that story as well, but also be aware that this is considered something outside the story (Kakashi and Iruka are not gay in that story, and neither are Shino and Kiba...so this is considered an "alternate story," if you will.)

please don't forget to favorite, follow and review! Reviews are always helpful!


	7. Chapter 7: The Friend

When they arrived at Amegakure at the North Gate, they were met by two village police officers and two rough-looking, heavily-armed villagers. The team was held at the gate — and Shikamaru and Temari spoke calmly to the two villagers who seemed angry and dead-set on not letting them pass.

However, Kiba's attention was not on the the confrontation happening between his team leaders and the two villagers. Instead, he was focused on the two police officers standing stiffly at attention behind the two villagers.

Akamaru growled lowly from his spot next to Kiba, and Kiba nodded in agreement.

He leaned toward Shino as subtly as he could and whispered, "the policemen are dead."

Shino nodded in agreement, having already sent a few kikaichu out to check on the policemen.

He could tell that others of the team were sensing what was happening as many were already moving into defensive positions — hands slowly moving to weapons or kunai holsters.

"We'll take the nasty looking one on the right with the huge kama and spiked kusarigama. You guys get the one on the left with the weird looking tonfa and battle armor," whispered TenTen from beside Shino as she placed her hands on top of two scrolls on her right side. Lee was standing on her left and was gripping his hands into fists.

"We will doing nothing until Shikamaru gives the order," whispered Shino. "That's because we are on a diplomatic mission. We can't engage unless it is absolutely necessary."

"You Shinobi Union scum make me sick," yelled one of the villagers, spitting on the ground in front of Temari's feet.

Akamaru growled again and looked at Shino.

"Still, we must wait," said Shino rather stiffly. His brows furrowed angrily. Kiba could sense the anger boiling inside him and he couldn't help but smile slightly.

Suddenly, he saw Temari's hand move slowly around her back to her tessen, and he saw her slowly and quietly release the strap.

Knowing he saw the motion, too, Kiba glanced sideways at Shino with a small toothy grin and raised eyebrow, as if asking if that was the signal they needed. Shino only sighed and released a small swarm of his kikai, who began to fly out of his arm sleeves and around his hands. Kiba's grin only widened as he turned back to face the impending fight, already starting to mold chakra.

But before anyone could react, suddenly, a large rock flew from the sky and hit the head of one of the villagers, knocking him out instantly. Everyone, including the villager's partner, was stunned.

Then, suddenly, 30 or so police officers rained down on the scene and surrounded them. All the members of the team circled into a defensive stance.

Then, someone landed on top of the last villager with a loud _bang_ and _crack_.

Everyone turned quickly to look at the intruder.

Rising with his back to the team was a rather strange looking man. He had fiery red hair; wore a black, thick leather jacket; and wore dark reflective sunglasses. He peered over his shoulder and the first words out of his mouth was a stoic, rather insincere apology to Shikamaru and Temari. He introduced himself as Police Chief Hiroki Kazuhiko. Then he told the team to follow him to the police station.

When Shikamaru moved to inspect one of the policemen who were still standing at stiff attention, the Chief told him to leave them be — confirming dryly that they were already dead.

He turned to Temari as she leaned over to mutter something toward him. The two of them signaled for the team to move forward and follow the Chief.

—

After going through inspections at the police station, the team was lead to a large conference room where they were told to wait while their team leaders spoke with the Chief.

The team was given case folders, scrolls, mission notes and other items related to the mission to study. Everything was laid out on the large conference room table or placed in boxes on the floor along the walls of the room.

The team scattered around the room, talking lowly amongst themselves.

"The police department has done a lot of research on Goro," said Kurotsuchi, opening up one of the many file boxes on the table.

"There are so many boxes labeled 'GORO,'" said Omoi, exasperated. "And there's just as many labeled 'DOKUSUTO.' How are we supposed to get through all of this before they come back." He scratched the back of his head in frustration.

"Oi, be quiet, Omoi," said Karui in annoyance with her hands on her hips. "Stop complaining and get started."

"There are a lot of boxes," said Chojuro in agreement, scratching his chin in contemplation, "but I don't see nearly as many for the Masanori clan."

Everyone stopped to look at him, then looked around at all the boxes, folders, and mission notes to see if they had missed anything.

"You're right, Chojuro," said Kurotsuchi, frowning at him. "I wonder why that is?"

"According to the reports we received about the clans, the Masanori clan sounded quite fearsome. Perhaps they have been too difficult for the police to research," said Omoi, brow furrowing.

"Well, we can certainly do our own investigating if needed. But that's not quite what we are here for," said Kurotsuchi, looking back and forth between Omoi and Choujuro.

"Well, for now, perhaps we should just work with what we have," said Chojuro. He opened the box closest to him and noticed that all of the files in it pertained to Goro's food pills.

"Ino, Chouji," he said, turning to them. They turned away from the Dokusuto files they were looking at to look at him.

"Here are the files pertaining to the food pills. You may want to look at these."

"Right," said Ino, walking over to the box. Chouji nodded and followed her.

"I've found some receipts," said Ten Ten, "Recent, too. From the Dokusuto clan. Weapons, explosives, armor. Lots of it."

"Why would they be buying all of that," said Lee, "are you sure it's not general restocking? They're a large clan and they've been at war…"

"No, it doesn't look like restocking. I've got receipts here that look like general restocking that they might be doing on a regular basis," said Ten Ten. "These receipts are for larger orders - much larger and repeated for several weeks in a row for the last 4 weeks. This is troublesome. It might be wise for us to look into this."

"We'll bring it up as soon as Shikamaru and the others get back. Perhaps we should set up a meeting with Dokusuto first," said Chojuro.

"Shino-kun," said Hinata quietly. She was across the table from him and was looking at several documents on the table in front of her with a firm look on her face. "Would you come here, please."

He walked around the table, and stood between her and Kiba, earning a glance from the ladder.

Shino looked down at the folders and boxes she was studying and noticed she was looking at the Masanori research.

"Tell me if you're seeing the same thing that I am," she said, brow furrowing. "The Masanori clan uses…a chakra barrier?" She pointed at a sheet in front of her.

Shino looked at the sheet and read the text:

 _Masanori clan will swarm an enemy in battle — generally fighting an opponent in groups of 15 or more — and proceed to lock the opponent into a solid field of chakra. Then, a member of the clan will cast a genjutsu over the prisoner._

Shino frowned and said, "yes, you appear to be right." Kiba looked up from the folder he reading to glance at the two.

"If this is the case, then you and I will be essential to keeping everyone safe if the clans go to war," said Hinata, frowning deeply. "If someone gets trapped, you and I will have to break down the barriers."

"Yes, I think we are the only ones here who can counter this jutsu. Except for perhaps Chojuro. That's because he has the sword Hiramekarei. But to my knowledge there is no one else on our team who can destroy chakra barriers," said Shino, his frown deepening. This was certainly unexpected.

"Does the file say anything about the number of users they need to form the barrier," asked Kiba, pulling their attention to him.

Both looked at one another in surprise, then glanced down to read over the sheet again.

"No, it doesn't," said Shino.

"But it does say 'in groups of 15 or more.' Perhaps they need 15," said Hinata.

"That is possible," said Shino, brow furrowing, "but perhaps we should not assume that to be true."

"We could assume that if we see a group of them coming together, it's entirely likely they are going to start to form the barrier, right" asked Kiba, brow raising in question.

"Yes, that's a safe assumption," said Shino. "Though I doubt we will have a lot of time to prevent them from—"

"Well, then that's our answer. We just stop them before they can completely form the barrier," said Kiba with a grin. "That's where Akamaru and I can come in," he said, rubbing Akamaru's head. Akamaru barked cheerfully in agreement.

Shino scowled and said, "I doubt you'll have a wide enough window of time to stop them. And it will be hard to watch everyone—"

"I can't guarantee that I'll be able to watch everyone, no," said Kiba with a small frown. "But I can help a lot of people and you guys can help the rest. With my help, we should be able to help everyone, right?"

Hinata smiled at that. Shino's scowl turned into a frown, then it turned into a small smile.

"Yes, we should be able to help more people if we work together," said Shino. "Good idea, Kiba."

Kiba smiled widely, flooding Shino's body with a surge of warmth.

Just then, the door to the conference room opened. In walked their team leaders, the police chief and a man they had not seen before.

Shikamaru motioned for Kankuro to close the door, then he walked to the table, scratched the back of his neck and said, "our plans have changed."

—-

After receiving a mission briefing from Shikamaru and checking into their hotel for the evening, the team headed to the Market Square for dinner.

Members of the team split off to grab take out boxes and bentos from various street vendors, all to be brought back to a large picnic table in the middle of the square.

Kiba, Shino, Hinata and Naruto headed in the direction of several ramen stands. Each one advertised different types of ramen — with specialties and favors that were familiar and foreign to the them.

"I think I'm going to try that one," said Naruto excitedly, pointing at a barbecued meat specialty ramen stand. He looked at Hinata and smiled warmly as he said, "what about you, Hinata? What would you like to eat?"

She slipped a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she blushed and said, "r-ramen sounds good, Naruto-kun. I think I'll go with you. Um, are you coming, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun," asked Hinata, looking at them expectingly.

"I'm not," said Kiba, already looking in the direction of another vendor. "That one offers beef cooked to order — the image looks tasty!" It had a picture of nearly rare steak. Akamaru barked loudly in agreement.

Shino glanced at it in disgust, and before he could say he planned to go with Naruto and Hinata, Kiba grabbed his arm, pulling him hard and away from the other two. Shino's eyes opened wide in surprise and his mouth opened slightly in a gasp. Akamaru even seemed slightly surprised - hesitating slightly before following after the two.

The others starred at them wide-eyed. Shino glanced back for a moment - long enough to see the two of them look at one another and laugh — Hinata red and covering her mouth with a hand.

"Kiba, let go of me," said Shino in irritation.

"Don't think so, buddy," said Kiba, his face turned away from him but a smile was apparent in his voice.

As Kiba pulled him while they weeded through the crowd, Shino's body was pulled closer and closer to Kiba's body. Shino could feel the warmth of Kiba's body even through his thick coat — a new feeling which made him strangely dizzy.

And for a brief moment, Kiba's hand slipped down to grab his — and Shino felt a surge of electricity and heat across his whole body that he had never felt before.

He gasped quietly at the shock, and nearly lost his usual calm, stoic control with the panic he felt at the strange, new, pleasurable feeling.

"Damnit, Kiba, let me go now," said Shino, notes of anger in his slightly shaking voice, pulling hard to get Kiba to stop and let him go.

Kiba turned toward him and let go of his hand quickly, looking down at it awkwardly as if suddenly realizing what he had done. He stuffed it into his pocket as he said, "chill, Shino, I've let you go. I just wanted you to come with me."

"Why," asked Shino sharply, pulling his hand away quickly as if nervous that Kiba might try to hold it again and cause him to feel those things again. Annoyance was all over his face and in his voice.

"To give them some _privacy_ , you idiot," said Kiba, expression nearly matching the other's. Akamaru let out a low moan of worry, his ears down as he looked between the two.

Shino's face relaxed slightly as he realized the meaning behind Kiba's words. He glanced to the side momentarily, then suddenly his face screwed up in anger.

"You didn't need to pull me away like that. Or…or hold my hand," he said with a hiss. "It was…" he trailed off.

"It was what," asked Kiba, brow raising slightly.

"It was…inappropriate and embarrassing," said Shino, jaw clenched.

"Embarrassing," asked Kiba, head tilting slightly in confusion. He glanced down at Shino's hand which was balled in a fist and hanging at his side. "Since when do you get embarrassed about things?"

"I am not—" but Shino stopped abruptly, scowling angrily before turning his back to Kiba. He couldn't look at Kiba anymore. He could feel the beginnings of the warmth of a blush coming to his cheeks, and he didn't want to show any more of his emotions on his face.

Why is it that Kiba could always make him feel so many things all at once, and somehow disregard the teachings of his family and the way of the Aburame? To show emotion, wear your heart on your sleeve, to be so expressive…this was not acceptable of an Aburame. Especially not the heir to the Aburame clan.

He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to center himself. He felt his body starting to calm down until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, come on," said Kiba. "Hey, I'm sorry. Shino." Kiba tried to turn him around with a tug but was met by resistance. Instead, he walked around to stand in front of him and noticed the slight redness that was sitting on Shino's cheeks just below his glasses. Kiba had to fight the urge to grin, realizing that his friend was blushing.

"I really am sorry. Seriously. I won't do that again. It was something I did unconsciously and I am sorry for embarrassing you," said Kiba. A small, warm smile was on his lips.

He looked around them, his brow furrowing in concentration. Then he grinned as he turned back to Shino, clapped a hand on his shoulder and said "let me make it up to you. I'll buy you dinner."

Shino's nose crinkled in disgust as he said, "Kiba, I do not want rare beef. That's because—"

"No, no, I…I know that," said Kiba with a small chuckle. "Let me get you something you'll like. Just…wait here."

He let go of Shino's shoulder and walked around him, and the absence of that warmth was like being splashed with cold water in the spot. Shino turned quickly to watch his friend leave, his mouth open in retort but his friend was already too far away to hear him. Akamaru trailed after him, glancing back at Shino once before following obediently after his master.

Shino hesitated for a moment, then moved to follow his friend, who he already lost sight of.

Shino sighed to himself and walked slower, looking at the ground, lost in thought.

 _Why had he gotten so embarrassed when Kiba grabbed his hand? What were those strange feelings he had when he felt the warmth of his palm against his own? And why, when Kiba let go, did it feel like some form of loss? Like a broken connection?_

 _And why had Kiba grabbed his hand in the first place? He had never done anything like that before…not that Shino could recall. They had certainly touched hands before. Body parts - skin to skin. But why did this feel so different?_

"I told you to wait for me," said a familiar voice that broke Shino out of his thoughts. Shino stopped walking and looked up quickly at the source of the voice to find a smiling Kiba — arms crossed and smirk planted on his face. "But I did assume you wouldn't listen, as usual."

Shino frowned slightly, then turned to look at the stand that Kiba was waiting in line at. The stand served assorted salads, vegetables and many of his favorite dishes. He turned to look at Kiba and said, brow raised slightly, "since when do you know what types of food I like?"

"Since we became teammates and best friends, of course. I even know your favorite dishes; wild grass salad and winter melon," said Kiba.

Shino was surprised. "I…I didn't think you cared enough or paid attention enough to know that," he said rather quietly.

Kiba chuckled, "what? Why?"

"I don't know…I didn't think you would find things like that important," said Shino.

"I think it's pretty important," said Kiba, "jeez, you must think pretty poorly of me if you think I don't care enough about you to know some basic facts about you."

"…'facts?' There is more," asked Shino, suddenly very intrigued. "Just what do you 'know' about me?"

Kiba laughed at that, then said, "well…I know your favorite color is moss green."

Shino nodded slightly at that.

"You have 187 different types of insects collected and your most prized insect is your stag beetle which you got on a trip with your father," said Kiba, smiling warmly.

Shino's eyes widened slightly. "How did you—"

"You told Hinata and I about it during training after you came back," said Kiba, waving nonchalantly. Shino was still surprised that he remembered that.

"You uh…prefer boxers over briefs," said Kiba quickly, scratching at his cheek as they turned red. "And you seemed to stop wearing your hood as often after the war — Hinata and I think it's because you're more comfortable and confident."

Shino's brow furrowed - not out of anger, but out of confusion, as he said, "what do you mean? I was confident and comfortable before."

"Um…well, you've changed since the war, Shino. You're more vocal. You seem more…outgoing. I think that was one way Hinata described it," said Kiba.

"Well, I…that's because—" said Shino, but he was interrupted.

"NEXT," shouted the cashier at the stand, motioning for them to move to the counter so that their order could be taken.

"What can I get you," said the cashier, wetting the tip of her pen with her tongue.

"Mixed fruit bowl and wild grass salad," said Kiba.

"That all," she asked looking at Shino.

"Yeah, I'm ordering for him," said Kiba, answering for him. "I'm treating him to dinner."

"Mmm, lucky boy," said the cashier, winking at Shino, as she eyed Kiba, who blushed profusely.

"Yeah yeah, how much do I owe ya," said Kiba, trying to hide an embarrassed grin that was surfacing on his lips.

As they walked off with Shino's food and headed back toward the stand where Kiba planned to pick up his dinner, something dawned on Shino.

"Kiba," he said rather loudly. "How do you know what kind of underwear I wear?"

Kiba nearly tripped over Akamaru, and without turning to look at his friend, Kiba said, "I'm a shinobi, Shino. We're trained to look at what's hidden underneath the underneath."

"You do realize that's not what that means, right? And if you meant that literally, you're saying—" started Shino, but he was interrupted by Akamaru barking loudly.

"Yeah, you're right, buddy. We better get to the stand before it closes," said Kiba, starting to run on ahead - Akamaru in tow.

Shino watched him run on ahead, a scowl on his face.

—-

"Your favorite type of ramen is char-siu, right, Hinata," asked Naruto, turning and smiling warmly at her.

A-ah, yes, yes it is," said Hinata, blush painting the tops of her cheeks. She was surprised that he remembered her favorite ramen from the last time they ate together — when she told him her favorite type. She assumed he would be too busy and would forget such a silly detail.

They talked about their temporary living arrangements, the mission, and even their friends at home.

Soon, their conversation drifted to concerns regarding Shino and Kiba.

"Do ya ever notice how much they just seem to look at one another," said Naruto, frowning and scratching at his left cheek in contemplation. "I've noticed it for years, but only recently noticed a real change in things like their expressions or the length of time that they look at one another."

"What do you mean," asked Hinata, slightly surprised that Naruto noticed them looking at one another in the first place.

"Well…Kiba tends to look at Shino the most. I've caught him doing it when I'm trying to have a conversation with him. He sometimes gets this sort of glazed over, far -away look on his face. Like he's not really present anymore. Most of the time his face is completely expressionless…and sometimes he's got this weird small grin on his face.

Shino is completely different. He looks at Kiba a lot less and seems way more tame about it. He's much better at hiding it. But when I have seen him looking, he seems to look at Kiba with a look that's a cross between frustration and sadness."

Hinata frowned deeply at that, turning away and looking off in the direction that her friends went with deep concern in her eyes.

"I wonder what they're both thinking," said Naruto rather quietly.

"Hmm," said Hinata, turning back to look at Naruto. "It's hard to say with Shino. He's not very transparent. But I'd say that he's just…confused."

"Confused? About what," asked Naruto, brow raised.

"His feelings. His life at this moment. I think the best thing that we can do as his friends is give him space, but support him should he need our help," said Hinata, smiling slightly.

"Right," said Naruto, nodding and smiling in return. "I can definitely do that."

"NEXT," said the cashier.

—-

Everyone met back in the central area of The Market, having gathered whatever they planned to eat for dinner that evening.

Friendly chatter commenced — and small conversations formed as many foreign shinobi moved to speak to their new teammates.

"So, Lady Hinata, I'm traveling to Konoha for a summit in a few weeks. Do you have any suggestions for interesting places to eat," asked Kurotsuchi, a warm but mischievous grin on her lips.

Hinata blushed bright red and said, "o-oh. Please, just call me Hinata, Kurotsuchi-chan."

"Okay, Hinata-chan," said Kurotsuchi with a wink. The blush darkened on Hinata's cheeks.

"Um, R-regarding your request for restaurant suggestions…hmm," said Hinata, tapping on her chin. "Most of our restaurants are still closed. But there's a few that are open — they're just a little crowded. There's a small cafe near the Hokage tower that serves dango, tea and sandwiches. Um…I think the barbecue restaurant reopened recently. It's called—"

"KUROTSUCHI, did I hear that correctly? You're going to be in town in a few weeks," said Ino excitedly, leaning over Sai and talking across two other teammates who flinched at the volume of her voice.

"Uh, yeah. For the Shinobi Union summit, I'm—" said Kurotsuchi, but she was interrupted.

"Lets go out for barbecue at Yakiniku Q. It just reopened! We'll get some of the other girls together! We'll have a GIRLS NIGHT," yelled Ino, causing many around the table to scowl or stop their conversations and turn to look at her.

"Why are you yelling" asked Kurotsuchi, scowling slightly. "I'm not deaf."

"GAH, this ramen has like zero flavor," said Naruto, facing screwing up in disgust. "Shikamaru, pass the sa—"

But before he could finish, they heard a loud boom from the other side of The Market, and loud screaming.

"NARUTO," shouted Shikamaru over the cloud of smoke and the confusion, "send out some clones and see what's going on!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Three glowing Naruto clones appeared from smoke and ran toward the larger dust cloud that was forming on the other end of The Market.

Naruto Clone 1 shouted, "I'll take the center," he pointed at the clone on his left and said, "you take the left and," he pointed to the clone on his right, "you take the right. Help whoever you can but give a shout to let us know what's going on."

"Right," the other two clones shouted in unison, going off in their respective directions.

Naruto Clone 1 headed toward the center, covering his mouth protectively, and searched the smoke for any signs of trouble. What he saw was shocking.

Three of the vendor booths had been completely incinerated, and there were people around the vendors either running from the scene covered in blood or trapped under collapsed storefronts or debris trying to get out.

Naruto Clone 1 heard a shout from the direction of the clone on the right, saying that there were more people trapped under debris, and that he was going to start getting them out. But he had not heard anything from the clone on the left yet, which was bothersome.

"SHIMAMARU," he shouted, "WE NEED HELP OVER HERE! AND ONE OF MY CLONES HASN'T SAID ANYTHING YET!"

Shikamaru appeared beside Naruto Clone 1 and said, "That's because he's gone, Naruto. Something's wrong. The real you is heading over toward him now. We'll start working on this; help us."

Naruto Clone 1 nodded, and pointed toward the debris. "We should help them first. We need medic ninja."

"That's what we're here for, Naruto," said Ino annoyedly as she jumped passed him with Hinata in tow. Hinata's Byakugan was activated and she turned her head abruptly, shouting "Chouji, move that large slab of concrete — there are 5 civilians under that and 3 are still alive!"

"Kiba. Sai. Chojuro. Come with me. We'll head north, north east toward that fire. There's a group of children trapped in that building," said Hinata, pointing as she moved in that direction. "Shino, please assist Ino in my absence."

Shino nodded and moved to help Ino guide several wounded civilians out of a building that had partially collapsed in the front.

The others moved to follow Hinata as she ran in the direct of the building.

"Chojuro, please be ready to put out the fire when we arrive. It is just up ahead. Sai, some of the children are on the second and third floors - please fly up and assist them. Kiba, help me with the children on the first floor," said Hinata.

As they stopped in front of the building they noticed that several of the surrounding buildings were on fire.

"I'm on it," said Chojuro. "Water Release: Great Wave Jutsu!" Several large waves of water covered the fire, stifling the flames. "I'll keep working, but you should be free to enter now, Hinata!"

Sai had already started flying toward the upper stories of the buildings.

Covering their mouths with sleeves or the tops of their shirts, Kiba, Akamaru and Hinata moved into the first building and through the smoke, with Kiba lifting or kicking debris out of their way.

"Kiba-kun! They are trapped in that room," yelled Hinata, pointing to a door on the left. They could hear screaming through the door.

They ran to the door which was barred by two large wooden beams that had fallen from the ceiling.

"Hinata, you grab one end and I'll grab the other!"

"Right!"

They both moved to either side of the beam and began to lift, either groaning at the weight of the beam as they lifted and shifted the beam out of the way. The repeated the process with the second beam.

Without catching a breath, Kiba moved to break down the door, yelling for anyone at the door to step back. It fell to the floor within the room with a loud bang.

Hinata was the first to run in, Byakugan activated. She ran over to the children who had all gathered to one side of the room near an older women who wasn't moving.

"We are hear to help you. Please, if you can walk or move, help the others who can't walk. We will help as many as we can as quickly as we can, but any help you can give will get everyone out quicker before—"

Suddenly, there was loud creaking and banging above their head. The ceiling suddenly shifted about an inch downward - Hinata had already moved lightening fast over toward the children to shield them with her body. A large piece of wood fell and landed on the leg of the older women, and she moaned in pain, but barely moved.

"…before the building collapses," she said quietly. "Everyone, move out. Kiba, I'll start gathering as many children as I can. We must get them out. Can you get this off the old woman and carry her out?"

"Leave it to me," said Kiba with a nod.

"Right," said Hinata, picking up two small children who seemed to have large gashes in their legs. "Let's move!"

As she left with the children in tow, Kiba began to move the beam, realizing quickly that it was much heavier than he expected.

As he pulled, the old woman eyed him closely, and suddenly she spoke.

"What is your name," she said.

Kiba gruntled loudly as he pulled the board off her and threw it to the side. "Kiba. Come on, let's get you out—"

"Kiba Inuzuka," she said, her voice was warm, soft…almost kind. She smiled at him knowingly.

Kiba's eyebrow raised. "How…How did you know my last name?"

Her smile widened.

"Who are you," said Kiba, moving beside her, moving to place a hand under her head. Then he shook his head quickly and said "we don't have time for this. We have to get you out—"

Suddenly, the building creaked loudly and the ceiling seemed to settle again — this time, at least a foot lower. Kiba was already moving to scoop her up into his arms and carry her toward the door.

But, he was suddenly distracted. Something about her was…familiar. Her smell…there was a familiar humming noise coming from her body…and the way her skin felt…

He looked down at her and looked her in the eyes. She was deathly still and staring at him, a small smirk still on her face.

"Who…just who are you," he asked, stopping near the door. He didn't know why he stopped. Something seemed to make him stop. Maybe it was something in her eyes.

Suddenly, the ceiling began to collapse fully. Metal and wood scrapping against itself - and shards flying everywhere.

Before Kiba could stop it — even make it to the exit — a large chunk of metal flew off a light fixture and slammed into the side of the woman's skull.

"No…NO" yelled Kiba, reaching the outside and falling on his knees into the pavement. He touched the side of her head with a shaking hand, and yelled for Hinata to come help.

The women looked up at him and whispered something he couldn't hear.

He leaned down and placed and eat to her mouth. Her words were said between gasps of air.

"There…can be…only one. Beware of…the other…"


End file.
